Statewide Iowa – Iowa is one of three states that does not have an official state fish. But an area legislator’s proposal could change that.
State Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake says the nomination came from a constituent.
Wills expects to hear other names floated for state fish, like the blue gill or the channel cat, but he is casting his lot with his constituent.
The Iowa Darter, by the way, is little.
Wills says the Iowa Darter is found in the Iowa Great Lakes. Male and female Iowa Darters have different color patterns, although you probably will never see one because they often dart through the water faster than the human eye can track. To see the Iowa Darter become the State Fish, Wills will have to convince his colleagues in the House and Senate to pass a resolution he’s sponsoring. Iowa has just a handful of state symbols.
The legislature designated the American Goldfinch as the state bird — in 1933. The legislature named the wild prairie rose the state flower 127 years ago. In 1961, the legislature declared the oak the state tree and in 1967 Iowa lawmakers named the geode the state rock to promote tourism in the Keokuk area where the rocks — which have a crystal interior — are plentiful. Since then, there have been proposals to name the ladybud the state insect and the catfish as the state fish — but none were able to get the Iowa legislature’s endorsement.
Photo: Iowa Darter Fish (Iowa DNR Photo)
