Mississippi State Flower and State Bird

Mockingbird ~ Mimus polyglottos
Mockingbirds start tuning up in late January and reach their vocal peak in spring, singing almost any hour of the day or night. The light of the rising moon often provides the cue for this bird's most rapturous song. Quiet during the August molt, they return to singing form in the fall. Mockingbirds were sold as cage birds in the South, a practice which has been stopped. Today, the Mocker is a familar sight around Mississippi's parks.

Magnolia ~ Magnolia grandiflora
The Magnolia of the South is the most spectacular flowering tree in this country. Always green, and shaped like a pyramid, it may brow to a height of one hundred feet, with a trunk four feet thick. The long oval leaves are leathery and glossy. At the end of almost every branch the leaves form a green background for the immense white flowers, which often expand to a width of ten or twelve inches. The fragrant blossoms have six to twelve waxen petals and three sepals which look like extra petals. Magnolia trees bloom in spring and early summer, although a tree will sometimes produce a few beautiful flowers in the autumn.

From The Wildflowers of the 50 States U.S. stamps issued July 24, 1992:



Mississippi Wildflower - Fragrant Water Lily

Art from the 50-stamp series, State Birds and Flowers,
issued April 14, 1982 simultaneously in all state capitals.