Loop Canada:

Anyone who’s been to the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa knows that there’s no shortage of bright, beautiful colours. But this year, there will be one flower that overshadows them all.

On Monday, a red and white tulip created to honour Canada’s 150th birthday was unveiled at Commissioners Park. It was engineered to resemble the Canadian flag, and you can think of it as a personal “thank you” from the Netherlands.

The story is a bit misleading – there’s no actual information on how the tulip was engineered – but it’s still a great story about the remarkable affection and friendship the Dutch have for and with Canada. You can see the Canada150 tulip at the Canadian Tulip Festival this weekend in Ottawa and buy it for your own home garden at Home Hardware stores this September.