ILLINOIS STATE SYMBOLS/OFFICERSAnd their history/responsibilities

Symbols • Illinois has a total of 18 state symbols:– Tree -Reptile– Flower -Amphibian– Prairie Grass -Mineral– Snack food -Soil– Animal -Fossil– Bird -Flag– Insect -Song– Fish -Seal– Slogan -Dance

STATE TREE

• White Oak (Quercas alba)

WHEN: 1973

HOW: School Children changed it from the Native Oak.

Size: 100 Feet (30 m) High

Other: Strong wood is used in making cabinets.

STATE FLOWER

• Violet (Viola sororia)

WHEN: 1908

HOW: School Children Voted on it.

SIZE: 3-8 inches high (7.5-20cm)

OTHER: Petals are edible and used for decoration. Grows in sun and shade.

STATE PRAIRIE GRASS

• Big Bluestem (Adropogon gerardii)WHEN: Aug. 31, 1989

HOW: School Children voted.

SIZE: 3-10 feet high (1-3m)

OTHER: Once covered Illinois’ true prairies. Also called turkey foot.

SNACK FOOD

• Popcorn (Zea mays everta)

WHEN: 2003

HOW: School Children in Joliet wrote a letter to the General Assembly.

HOW MUCH: 333 farmers in Illinois grow popcorn on 47,000 acres. Making IL the 3rd largest producer of the produce.

OTHER: Is said to have originated in Mexico around 5,000 years ago. The kernal “pops” because there is a drop of water that turns the kernal inside out.

ANIMAL• White-tailed Deer

(Odocoileus virginianus)WHEN: 1982

HOW: School Children voted

SIZE: 3-3.5 (1 m) tall at the shoulders.Males weigh 400 lbsFemales weigh 200 lbs.

OTHER: Eats tender shoots, leaves and twigs of shrubs and trees. Found in wooded areas.

BIRD • The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)WHEN: 1929

HOW: School Children

SIZE: 8-9 in. high (30 cm) Wingspan up to 12 inches.

OTHER: Eats insects, grains, wild fruits and seeds.

INSECT• Monarch Butterfly

(Danaus plexippus)WHEN: 1975

HOW: School Children

SIZE: Wingspan of 3.5-5 in. (8-12cm)

OTHER: In Spring they lay eggs on various species of milkweed.

FISH • Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

WHEN: 1986

HOW: School Children

SIZE: Weighs about 12 oz. 9.5 in. (24 cm) long.

OTHER: Eats insects, crayfish, smaller fish and snails. Females make underwater nests to lay eggs.

REPTILE• Eastern Painted

Turtle (Chrysemys picta)WHEN: July 2005

HOW: Internet Survey

WHY: The painted turle is so-named because of its bright yellow, red, and orange markings on the head, margin of the shell, and underside

OTHER: The female lays 2-3 clutches of 8-9 soft-shelled eggs from May to July. Hatchlings usually overwinter in the nest. Painted turtles feed on dead fish, insects, mollusks, and plants

AMPHIBIAN

• Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)

WHEN: JULY 2005

HOW: Polled School Children via the Internet

COLOR: Is black with brightly colored yellow/orange spots.

WHERE: Lives in fishless ponds where they can lay their eggs.

MINERAL• Fluorite

WHEN: 1989

HOW: Illinois Government

SIZE: Can be found in veins up to 40 ft. (12 m) wide.

OTHER: Can be violet, blue green, yellow, brown, pink, or blue-black in color. A mineral that is found in the ground.

SOIL • Drummer’s Silty Clay Loam

WHERE: Drummer soil is the most extensive type of soil occuring in Illinois

HOW: It developed under the prairie.

WHAT: Drummer soil consists of a series of soils that are very deep and poorly drained. They formed in 40 to 60 inches of loess or other silty material and in the glacial drift. In Illinois, 1.5 million acres of Drummer soil stretches across the northern half of the state

OTHER: Good soil for molds, protozoa, bacteria, to help plants grow.

FOSSIL• Tully Monster

(Tullimonstrum gregarium)WHEN: 1989

HOW: Illinois Government

SIZE: About 1 foot long (30.5 cm) long

OTHER: First one found by Mr. Francis Tully in 1958. Lived about 300 million years ago.

FLAG • Illinois State Flag

WHEN: 1912 and 1915

WHAT: Located on the flag is the great seal of Illinois.

OTHER: $25 prize was given to the person who submitted the best design for a state flag. 35 designs were presented.

SONG

• "Illinois, Illinois“

• ILLINOIS By thy rivers gently flowing, Illinois, Illinois, O�er thy prairies verdant growing, Illinois, Illinois, Comes an echo on the breeze. Rustling through the leafy trees, and its mellow tones are these, Illinois, Illinois, And its mellow tones are these, Illinois.

• From a wilderness of prairies, Illinois, Illinois, Straight thy way and never varies, Illinois, Illinois,Till upon the inland sea, Stands thy great commercial tree, turning all the world to thee, Illinois, Illinois, Turning all the world to thee, Illinois.

• When you heard your country calling, Illinois, Illinois, Where the shot and shell were falling, Illinois, Illinois, When the Southern host withdrew, Pitting Gray against the Blue, There were none more brave than you, Illinois, Illinois, There were none more brave than you, Illinois.

• Not without thy wondrous story, Illinois, Illinois, Can be writ the nation�s glory, Illinois, Illinois, On the record of thy years, Abraham Lincoln�s name appears,

WHO: Lyrics by C.H. Chamberlain, Music by Archibold Johnson.

WHEN: 1955

HOW: General Assembly

OTHER: Music for the song was written some time during 1870-1885.

SEAL • Illinois State Seal

WHEN: 1809, 1818, 1825, 1858

WHAT: Seals used during different periods of Illinois History.

USAGE: Territorial seal of NW Territory, 1st state Seal, 2nd state Seal, 3rd state Seal.

SLOGAN• "Land of Lincoln"

WHAT: Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, is recognized for his noble vision, statesmanship, humanity, and political skill.

WHY: Describes the past of Illinois as well.

DANCE• The Square Dance

WHEN: 1990

HOW: Illinois Government. Signed into law by Governor Thompson.

OTHER: A folk dancing tradition in the United States. Recorded as early as 1651.

Illinois State Officials• Govenor• Lieutenant Governor• Secretary of State• Secretary of Treasury• Comptroller• Attorney General

Governor• Pat Quinn• Must be 25 years

old• Resident of the

state for three years

• A U.S. citizen• Salary of $107,804• Term of office 4

years

Lieutenant Governor• Sheila Simon• Receives a salary

of $139,200• Serves as governor

if the current governor is unable to serve due to death, disability, impeachment, etc.

Attorney General• Lisa Madigan• The legal officer of

the state.• Provides legal and

criminal investigation for the state

Secretary of State• Jesse White• Maintains the official

records of the acts of the General Assembly.

• Keeper of the Great Seal of Illinois

• Issues licenses to Illinois-registered motor vehicles and their drivers.

Comptroller• Judy Baar Topinka• Shall maintain the

State’s central fiscal accounts, and order payments into and out of funds held by the Treasurer

Secretary of Treasury• Dan Rutherford• Shall be

responsible for the safekeeping and investment of monies and securities deposited with him (or her) for their disbursement upon order of the Comptroller

Notes Page

• Tree: • Flower:• Prairie Grass:• Snack Food:• Animal:• Bird:• Insect:• Fish:• Slogan:• Reptile:• Amphibian:• Mineral:• Soil:• Fossil:• Flag:• Song:• Dance:

Write in the following State Symbols!