Cultural symbols in Ontario

Ontario marks itself with a flower, a tree, and a flag. The maple leaf is the country’s. The trillium is the province’s.

The trillium

• It is a white woodland flower with three petals. It blooms in spring.
• It is the provincial flower. It appears on signs, plates, and the health card.
• Picking one in a park is frowned on. The plant is slow to return.
• A red trillium exists. The white one is the emblem.
• It means Ontario, not a family or a town.

The maple leaf

• It is the national mark. Ontario uses it on the flag and on the shield.
• The leaf is from the sugar maple. Syrup comes from the same tree.
• A red leaf on a bag or a shirt is the country, not a brand.
• In autumn the real trees turn red and orange.
• It is shared with the rest of Canada. It is not only Ontario’s.

The flag

• It is a red field with the Union Jack in the corner and the shield on the fly.
• The shield has a red cross and three gold maple leaves.
• It flies on provincial buildings and at some schools.
• The national flag, red and white with one leaf, is the one on most houses.
• Both can be up on Canada Day. The provincial one is the quieter of the two.

The beaver

• It is the national animal. Ontario still has them in creeks and ponds.
• A dam, a lodge, and cut trees are the signs.
• It is on old coins and on crests. A live one is a nuisance if it floods a road.
• The meaning is work and building. The animal does not know that.
• It is not a pet. It is left alone.

The white pine

• It is the provincial tree. Tall, with long soft needles in fives.
• Old pines were cut for masts and for lumber. A few big stands remain.
• It appears on the coat of arms with the trillium and the maple.
• A cottage road often has them. They mark the Shield country.
• It is a tree emblem, not a clan badge.

Niagara

• The falls are the picture most people know. Half the water is on the Ontario side.
• They stand for the province in postcards and in tourism.
• A visit is a day trip from Toronto. The spray is the real thing.
• They are a place, used as a symbol. They are not on the flag.
• Winter ice and summer boats are both part of the picture.