A number of trilliums grow each year along the road near Grafton.
The adoption of an official flower for Ontario grew out of a movement during the First World War to choose a national floral emblem appropriate for planting on the graves of Canadian servicemen overseas states the Government of Canada’s website.
The white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), also known as the wake-robin and the white lily, was officially adopted as Ontario’s floral emblem in 1937. It was recommended by a special committee of botanists to the Ontario Horticultural Association. In a British botanical work published in 1760 there is a reference to the trilliums as “the herb True Love of Canada.”
Found in the forests and woodlands of Ontario, the white trillium blooms in late April and May. The blooms are very sensitive to light, and the white flowers usually bend toward the sun as it moves across the sky.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal to pick a white trillium in Ontario. However, picking the flower can seriously injure the plant and it can take years to recover.
