Northerners anticipate the end of winter with bated breath.

Then one day the bleak, white landscape transforms into a miraculous tapestry of floral colour.

The Northwest Territories chose mountain avens (Dryas octopetala) as its floral mascot. A distinguished botanist and Arctic explorer named Dr. A.E. Porsild recommended the choice in 1957 because of the mountain avens’ abundance and name recognition. A member of the rose family, the cream-coloured flower blankets the Barrens with eight-petalled wonders. Even in winter, its leaves stay green.