Tennessee Trivia
Tennessee State Facts
A quick guide to Tennessee's official symbols, songs, state flower, bird, tree, animal, flag, seal, and other Volunteer State facts.
Tennessee state flag image, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Statehood
June 1, 1796
State Number
16th state
Capital
Nashville
Nickname
The Volunteer State
Most Requested Tennessee Symbols
State Bird: Mockingbird
Selected as Tennessee's official state bird in 1933.
State Cultivated Flower: Iris
The iris is Tennessee's official cultivated flower. Purple is commonly accepted, though the law did not name one color.
State Wildflowers: Passion Flower and Tennessee Coneflower
The passion flower is also known as maypop or ocoee. Tennessee coneflower was added as an official wildflower in 2012.
State Tree: Tulip Poplar
Designated in 1947 because it grows across Tennessee and was widely used by early settlers.
State Wild Animal: Raccoon
The raccoon became Tennessee's official wild animal in 1971.
State Horse: Tennessee Walking Horse
Named the official state horse in 2000.
Tennessee Flag, Seal, and Motto
State Flag
Adopted in 1905. The three white stars represent East, Middle, and West Tennessee, the state's three grand divisions.
State Seal
The seal includes the Roman numeral XVI for Tennessee's place as the 16th state and symbols of agriculture and commerce.
State Motto
Agriculture and Commerce.
State Slogan
Tennessee has long been known as the Volunteer State.
Flag Salute: Tennessee has official salutes to the state flag. The best-known version begins, "Three white stars on a field of blue."
Official Tennessee Songs
Tennessee has more than one official state song. The list below gives the song titles and adoption years without reprinting lyrics.
- My Homeland, Tennessee — adopted in 1925.
- When It's Iris Time in Tennessee — adopted in 1935.
- My Tennessee — adopted in 1955 as the official public school song.
- Tennessee Waltz — adopted in 1965.
- Rocky Top — adopted in 1982.
- Tennessee by Vivian Rorie — adopted in 1992.
- The Pride of Tennessee — adopted in 1996.
- A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap: 1796-1996 — adopted in 1996 as the official bicentennial rap song.
- Smoky Mountain Rain — adopted in 2010.
- Tennessee — adopted in 2012.
- I'll Leave My Heart in Tennessee — adopted in 2022.
- Under A Tennessee Moon — adopted in 2024.
Animals, Birds, Fish, and Insects
State Game Bird: Bobwhite Quail
Designated as Tennessee's official game bird in 1987.
State Sport Fish: Smallmouth Bass
Designated in 2005, replacing the largemouth bass as the official sport fish.
State Commercial Fish: Channel Catfish
Designated in 1987.
State Reptile: Eastern Box Turtle
Designated in 1995.
State Amphibian: Tennessee Cave Salamander
Designated in 1995.
State Butterfly: Zebra Swallowtail
Designated in 1995.
State Agricultural Insect: Honeybee
Designated in 1990.
State Insects: Firefly and Ladybug
Tennessee recognizes both the firefly and ladybug among its official insects.
Plants, Foods, Rocks, and Other Symbols
State Fruit: Tomato
Designated in 2003.
State Beverage: Milk
Designated in 2009.
State Gem: Tennessee River Pearl
Designated in 1979.
State Mineral: Agate
Originally designated as a state rock in 1969 and redesignated as the state mineral in 2009.
State Rock: Limestone
Designated in 1979. Tennessee marble is a metamorphic form of limestone.
State Fossil: Pterotrigonia
A Cretaceous bivalve fossil from West Tennessee's Coon Creek Formation.
State Evergreen Tree: Eastern Red Cedar
Designated in 2012.
State Tartan
Adopted in 1999 to honor the role of people of Scottish descent in Tennessee history.
Quick Tennessee Trivia
Three Grand Divisions
East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee are represented by the three stars on the flag.
First Governor
John Sevier served as Tennessee's first governor after statehood.
Statehood Year
Tennessee entered the Union on June 1, 1796.
Volunteer State
The nickname is strongly associated with Tennessee's military volunteer tradition.
Official Sources
These sources are useful starting points for checking Tennessee symbols, state songs, and official state facts.