Flower's Cove, formerly called French Island Harbour, is famous for very rare fossils known as thrombolites. They can be seen in the southern part of town and are historical remnants of bacteria and algae, estimated to be over 6.50 million years.

The only other place in the world that they are found is in Lake Clifton, Western Australia. There are several explanations for the cove's name.

Some say that "flowers" comes from the Italian term fior d'aqua, a generic term used to refer to any rock that is just below the water, thereby creating "flowery water" full of bubbles; another theory is that Captain James Cook actually named the cove "Flour Cove" referring to the numerous breakers which form in the mouth of the cove causing foam to be made.

The following excerpt from the ENL, highlights how the communities in the area have had multiple names, an occurrence typical in Newfoundland: According to Beaufield (n.d.). Nameless Cove, immediately adjoining Flower's Cove to the north, was "often considered to be a part of Flowers Cove" and is locally referred to as Lower Flower's Cove.

Herb Island in Nameless Cove is locally called Green Island, and Flower's Island in the mouth of Flower's Cove (the site of a lighthouse erected in 1899) is commonly called Joey's Island after Joe Lavelle, a former lighthouse keeper.

Although the shallow harbour is not superior, it is the only well- sheltered area on the entire coastline, and the settlement of Flower's Cove is situated on the low, sandy spit which protects the harbour.

Settlement is concentrated on both sides of this spit and on the northern shore of Nameless Cove and the southern tip of Mistaken Cove, at its mouth.

P.W. Browne (1909, p. 345) considered the name "Flowers Cove" a misnomer "as the place is a barren, treeless promontory. Whence came the name, it has been impossible to ascertain. Possibly some venturous fisherman was its eponymous first settler."

Today, one of the main attractions in the community is the local Anglican Church. According to the town's website:

"It was the drive, inspiration and motivation of Canon J. T. Richards that inspired the building of this Anglican Church. He encouraged the people to sell seal skin boots and use the profits to build the church.

Because of the many pairs of boots the community sold, the church, which started construction July 23, 1920 and is still in use today, became known as 'Skin Boot Church".

While the population peaked in the 1960s with slightly more than 300 residents, the most recent census in 2016 showed that there were 270 citizens, a significant decrease of 12. 3% from the 306 recorded in 2011

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/FlowersCove