A Special Kind of Tulip

Tulips are one of my favourite cut flowers to bring home and display.  And especially to photograph.  I am regularly grabbing a bunch or two at the grocery store to add some colour to our home.  Especially at the end of this long long long winter that never seemed to end! 

This bunch was the only one of it's kind when I picked them out last week.  They caught my eye because they were white with just a strip of colour and they had a variegated leaf, which I've never seen before. 

I was given an extra surprise once the blooms started to open! Last year Canada celebrated it's 150th birthday and in honour of that a special tulip variety was bred in the Netherlands.  Once these blooms started to open I began to suspect that these were that special variety. 

The flowers were bred to look like our Canadian Flag.  What do you think, do you see the Maple Leaf in there?  

I think I do!

The Netherlands and Canada have a special history that dates back to World War II.  The Canadian forces led the liberation of the Netherlands and, I've read, provided sanctuary for the Dutch royal family during Nazi occupation.  In gratitude, the Dutch sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada with a commitment to continue to send thousands more each year. 

Here are a few more images of our anniversary tulip!

January favourites

January was a pretty good month for photography! I am attempting to do a couple of different weekly photography projects with some other photography friends online.  It's a good way to try to stay motivated and inspired to pick up the camera during the long, cold, colourless and often dark winter months.  I'm about done with winter, but having said that, January allowed me a few outdoor outings with the camera.  A walk in one of my favourite parks during a warm spell, a trip to Lake Louise during the Ice Magic Festival to watch the ice carvers in action and some of the images from my weekly projects make up my grid of favourites from the month.  I hope to make a grid every month and share on my blog!

Month one done!

I'm looking forward to the next couple of months, as I have 2 trips to warmer climates planned!  I anticipate plenty of inspiration that will have me pressing that shutter button!