State Song "Hail! Minnesota"
Written by two students at the University of Minnesota in 1904 and 1905. It was the official University song until 1945, when it became the state song.
Minnesota, hail to thee!
Hail to thee our state so dear!
Thy light shall ever be
A beacon bright and clear.
Thy sons and daughters true
Will proclaim thee near and far.
They shall guard thy fame
And adore thy name;
Thou shalt be their Northern Star.
Like the stream that bends to sea,
Like the pine that seeks the blue,
Minnesota, still for thee,
Thy sons are strong and true.
From thy woods and waters fair,
From thy prairies waving far,
At thy call they throng,
With their shout and song,
Hailing thee their Northern Star.
State Bird Common Loon (gavia immer)
Dating back 60 million years, the common loon is one of the earth's oldest living bird species. Its name comes from a Norwegian word that means "wild, sad cry." Approximately 12,000 make their homes in Minnesota. Loons are large black-and-white birds with long black bills. Clumsy on land, they are excellent divers, underwater swimmers, and high-speed flyers.
State Tree Norway Pine (pinus resinosa)
The Norway pine, also called the red pine because of its reddish brown bark, stands 60 to 100 feet tall, with a trunk three to five feet wide. Its needles are four to six inches long and grow in pairs. The tallest Norway pine in Minnesota is in Itasca State Park. It is over 300 years old and stands 120 feet high.
State Butterfly Monarch (danaus plexippus)
The Monarch butterfly, also known as the milkweed butterfly, is one of the few that migrate north and south like birds do for winter. Approximately four generations of Monarchs are born in Minnesota each summer and live roughly four weeks; the exception is the last generation of the season which survives about six months. Each fall, members of this last generation of the season migrate, at a rate of up to 80 miles per day and at an altitude of about 400 feet above the ground, to remote mountain areas of central Mexico where they spend the winter in a state of semi-hibernation.
State Flower Pink and White Lady Slipper (cypripedium reginae)
The pink and white lady slipper is one of Minnesota's rarest wildflowers. Thriving in swamps, bogs, and damp woods, they grow slowly, taking 4 to 16 years to produce their first flower. Sometimes they live for 50 years and grow four feet tall. They bloom in late June or early July. It is illegal to pick the lady slipper.
State Fish Walleye (stizostedion v. vitreum)
Walleye, a favorite fishing catch, inhabit waters in all parts of the state, but mainly the large, cool lakes in northern Minnesota. Their eyes are sensitive to light, so t hey go to deep dark waters during the day and move to shallow lake areas at night. Minnesota's record walleye weighed 17 pounds 8 ounces.
State Mushroom Morel (morchella esculenta)
These tasty brown, spongy-topped mushrooms pop up in fields and forests in spring time, and are considered a rare delicacy by mushroom hunters.
State Grain Wild Rice (zizania aquatica)
Wild rice grows naturally in the shallow waters of lakes in central and northern Minnesota. For many years, all the wild rice produced in the world came from Minnesota. It is harvested from lakes in the traditional Anishinabe (Native American) way, from canoes. It is also planted as a farm crop.
State Muffin Blueberry
Wild blueberries are native to northeastern Minnesota, growing in bogs, on hillsides, and in cut over forested areas.
State Drink Milk
Minnesota produces 9.7 billion pounds of milk a year and ranks fifth in dairy production among the states.
State Gemstone Lake Superior Agate
These unusually beautiful quartz stones are banded with rich red and orange colors derived from iron ore in the soil. Found in northeastern and north central Minnesota, they are often polished to make jewelry.
State Flag
Minnesota's state flag is royal blue bordered with gold fringe. Around the state seal in the center is a wreath of lady slippers. Nineteen stars ring the wreath. The largest star represents Minnesota, the 19th state to join the union after the original 13.
