Wild Rose

W I L D F L O W E R S

O F

N E W E N G L A N DBY

CHESTER A. REED, S. B.

40 COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAS K. REED,WORCESTER. MASS.

1912

Copyright 1912Chas. K. Reed,

Worcester, Mass.

PRESS OFA. M. EDDY

ALBION,N. Y.

WILD FLOWERSFlowering plants are numbered by the thousands; conse-

quently in the book we are able to include only some of themore important and most beautiful species. There are allkinds of plants, some good and some useless. Some furnishfoods, others are of great value medicinally, still othersfurnish coloring matter for dyes, and quantities of themhave a large aesthetic value; on the other hand many arepoisonous, some deadly so, and quantities are absolutely use-less weeds that spring up readily and in great quantities tothe detriment of agricultural products.

Most species that bear conspicuous flowers do so for theirown good and not simply to look pretty. They are designedto attract certain insects that are necessary or useful toassist them in setting seed. As will be seen in the illustra-tion on the following page, flowers have stamens and pis-tils, the tips of the former bearing anthers containing pollengrains and the end of the latter, called the stigma, beingsticky and connecting through a slender tube through thestyle to the ovary in the basal portion. In order that seedmay set, it is necessary that pollen should come in contactwith the stigma. If seed was always set by pollen from thesame flower, the continuous inbreeding would in time causethe species to degenerate. To prevent this, many plants areincapable of setting seed unless pollen is brought fromsome other flower. Insects are the chief agents for per-forming this duty and a great many ingenious devices forcethem to do so if they wish to partake of the nectar that theflowers provide as compensation for their services. Nobranch of science offers a wider field or a more interestingone than the methods of plant reproduction.

Just as interesting are the many devices intended to pre-vent useless insects from pilfering the nectar, such as hairyor sticky stems or parts to prevent crawling insects fromreaching the flowers, long nectar tubes within which short-tongued flies and bees cannot reach, etc.

7

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT.This, our best known representa-

tive of the Arum family, is veryabundant during spring in moistwoodlands. As its form shows, it isa very close relative of the exquisiteCalla Lily. The handsomely stripedand veined exterior of what is oftenconsidered the flower is known as aspathe, and is the pulpit from whichJack, represented by the verticallyprojecting spadix, is supposed topreach. The real flowers are smalland greenish-yellow, clustered aboutthe base of this spadix or smooth,glossy green column. Some of theseplants have clusters of both stamin-ate and pistillate flowers and are self-fertilizing, but mostof them have either the one kind or the other and requirethe assistance of insects in transferring pollen from the oneto the other.

Some plants are so constructed as to welcome with openarms the insects that are useful to them and to exclude allothers. Let us see how Jack treats his many visitors. Thecolumn and the inside of the spathe are very slippery, andthe former has an abrupt enlargement in the middle leavingjust room between it and the sides so that visitors caneasily slide down the polished surface but can neither crawlback nor find room to extend their wings in flight. If nottoo large and they happen to find it, there is a small open-ing in the lower flap of the spathe through which they mayforce their way ; insects so escaping, their bodies perhapsdusted with pollen, forget the trap and immediately enteranother plant, perhaps a pistillate one and fulfill the de-signs of our Jack, but at the cost of the lives of others notso fortunate in finding the avenue of escape from the prison.

The name Indian Turnip is often applied to this plantsince Indians used to boil and eat the acrid, turnip-likeroots.

8

TURK’S-CAP LILY ; TIGERLILY.

None of our several species oflilies are more beautiful, more grace-ful or decorative than the Turk’s-cap.With stately grandeur some of thestalks rise to heights of six or sevenfeet and terminate in the most bril-liant array of pendent blossoms vary-ing in number from two or three upto forty. They usually grow closelytogether in colonies, forming massesof brilliant color that can be seen tobest advantage in low meadows alongrailroad lines during July and August.

In full bloom, the six points of theperianth of this species are curved

far back, while those of the Canada or Wild Yellow Lilyare always spreading or bell-shaped. Another beautifulspecies known as the Red Wood Lily, but which grows mostcommonly in moist sandy ground, has the deep red bell-shaped perianth turned upward instead of being in a pendu-lous position.

The brightly colored lilies are fertilized by bees or but-terflies which are attracted by brilliant colors while thewhite ones cater to the long-tongued night moths or sphin-ges. Anyone who has ever handled these lilies knows howeasily the pollen is rubbed from the large anthers and canreadily see that a visiting bee, searching for the nectarthat is contained in grooves at the base of the flower, canscarcely avoid becoming powdered with it. As he visitsthe next bloom, even while getting a fresh dose of pollenon his under parts, he is leaving some of that from the pre-vious one on the sticky, projecting stigma. The long stems,thickly studded with leaves make upward progress veryarduous for crawling insects and the deep recesses withinwhich the nectar is contained prevent short-tongued onesfrom reaching the sweets.

9

WILD SPIKENARD.In rich, uncleared ground or thick-

ets this species, which also belongsto the Lily Family, grows in abun-dance. The angular stem, which growsfrom one to three feet in length, isalternately set with large, wavy-edged pointed leaves and, duringMay and June, is terminated with aflowering spike, each tiny white flow-er of which has a perfectly formedsix-parted perianth.

Later in the year a cluster of smallpurple or magenta berries is to beseen in place of the white blossoms.This berry-method of dispersing theseeds is one used by a great manyplants and is very successful. Birds eating the berries of-ten carry the seeds for miles from the place of their growthbefore dropping them.

Somewhat similar to Spikenard in form and arrangementof stem and leaves is the well known Solomon’s Seal whichgrows abundantly in all rich woods. If we pull up one ofthe roots we may easily understand the name; the thickperennial rootstock is scarred and sealed in many places,each representing the seat of the plant stem of a previousyear. The flowers of Solomon’s Seal are little greenishbells suspended in pairs below the leaves at their junctionswith the main stem.

Still another form of lily grows along the banks of wood-land streams or brooks, a small dainty species usually knownas the Dog-tooth Violet or yellow Adder’s-tongue. Thename violet of course is a misnomer for it is a true lily withthe usual perfect six-parted, bell-like perianth. The singlestraw-colored blossom grows, nodding from a slender stemrising from between two clasping spotted leaves. It is oftenappropriately termed the Trout Lily because it blooms alongtrout brooks and again known as the Fawn Lily, because ofthe leaves, which are green, spotted with purple and white.

10

CANADA MAYFLOWER.Whole woods, particularly conifer-

ous ones, are often carpeted with thelow growing green leaves of thisplant which is shown on the left inthe picture. The flower on the rightis the Three-leaved False Solomon’sSeal ; the two species are often con-fused with one another but a closeexamination will show that the flow-ers of the former have a four-partedperianth while those of the latter aredivided into six points besides beingfewer in number. Either species mayhave two or three leaves, so the num-ber cannot he used as a guide to theiridentity.

They bloom most profusely about Memorial Day and asthe leaves are so clean and bright and the flowers so beauti-ful and dainty, they are used quite extensively for decorat-ing. During fall the place of each pistillate flower is oc-cupied by a small purple berry, standing erect and await-ing the appearance of the bird which is destined to carry itsprecious seed-contents to other localities. Thus birds notonly play a very important part in the economy of natureby destroying injurious insects, but also assist in the distri-bution of our plant life to a very considerable extent.

The true Lily of the Valley, while very familiar as a cul-tivated species is wild only in the mountains of our southernstates. It is, however, often found in New York and NewEngland as an escape from gardens. The delicate little,nodding, white bell-shaped flowers grow along the upperpart of a slender stem, rising from the bases of two large,oval pointed leaves. The leaf veins, like those of nearly allspecies belonging to this family, run lengthwise of the leaf.

11

PAINTED TRILLIUM.The trilliums derive their name

from the fact that all their parts arearranged in threes—three leaves,three petals, three sepals and a three-parted stigma. The Painted Tril-lium, which is the handsomest spe-cies has its waxy-white, wavy-edgedflower standing erect above the whorlof three leaves. It is quite abundantin certain moist woodland and oftengrows in large beds.

Two other white species are quiteabundant, the large-flowered WhiteTrillium which has blossoms two orthree inches across and the NoddingTrillium, which has smaller whiteflowers suspended, inverted, below the whorl of leaves.Neither of these species have the crimson mark that addsso much to the beauty of the Painted variety.

Beautiful as they are, all the trilliums have a slight dis-agreeable odor while that of the Purple Trillium or WakeRobin is very unpleasant, strongly resembling the odor ofdecomposing flesh. Presumably, this odor is for the pur-pose of alluring certain carrion flies to the flowers, whichinsects are the chief fertilizing agents. In the case of thePurple Trillium, the color too is one that would attractflies that were in the habit of seeking out putrid substances.This species flowers in April and May, which early flower-ing is one of the reasons for the name of Wake Robin,although, as a matter of fact, they do not bloom until weeksafter robins have arrived in abundance.

After the flowering season a single, oval berry is seatedabove and close to the whorled leaves.

12

YELLOW STAR GRASS.From the latter part of April,

throughout the summer, the handsomegolden stars of this common plantgleam at us from the grass-carpetedground of pasture or first growthwoods. It belongs to the AmaryllisFamily, a small family closely relat-ed to the Lilies, having flat grass-l ike leaves and long slender stemsbearing six-parted flowers. The leavesof the present species so closely re-semble grass that the plants wouldnot be noticed were it not for theblossoms. The flower is wide spreadand of six equal divisions. Althoughhalf a dozen or more buds are in a

loose umbel at the top of each stem, the flowers open but oneor two at a time, so that the period of bloom for each plantmay extend over a period of many days. The blossoms yieldlittle or no nectar but are visited by many smaller bees forpollen, some of which is unavoidably carried on their bodiesand deposited on the sticky stigmas of blossoms visited later,thus effecting cross-fertilization that is so vital to the con-tinued healthy existence of many plants.

In moist fields and meadows another flowering grass-likeplant is commonly found, namely Blue-eyed Grass whichbelongs to the Iris Family. The leaves are very narrowand the stem long, slender, angular and sometimes pros-trate—quite uninteresting were it not for the beautiful six-parted flowers with their bright golden centers and violetpetals, very appropriately termed blue-eyed.

The blossoms are very sensitive and remain open for buta single day and only on bright days at that. While thesun shines the pretty blue eyes will twinkle at you but to-wards the close of day, they close in sleep never to openagain, but their places on the morrow will be taken by newfaces.

13

BLUE FLAG; IRIS.Just the thought of Iris always

recalls pleasant pictures to the mind,visions of a pond with its unruffledmirroring surface; the blackbirdsthat protest so vigorously when youare near their basket-like nests hang-ing just over the water ; the frogs thatdive with a great splash into itsbosom as we tread the edges; theturtles which are lazily sunningthemselves on an old stump; theheron that starts up with a singleshriek of warning and slowly flapsaway to more remote fishing grounds ;the rattle of the kingfisher which youhave disturbed perhaps just as hewas about to pounce upon a fish to carry to his clamoringyoung in yonder bank; the swaying rushes and cat-tailssheltering the noisy and boisterous Marsh Wren; the dragon-flies that go darting hither and yon hawking after the manyspecies of insects that are to be found over still water; andthe great clumps of Blue Flags that add a touch of brightcolor and cheer to the whole picture.

We are accustomed to think of the petals as the mostattractive part of a flower, but in this case it is the sepalsthat are enlarged, bright colored and attract our attention.The name Iris, which is quite appropriate, is from the Greekmeaning rainbow and surely the coloring of the sepals onthis species may readily suggest the rainbow. The flowersare so constructed that fertilization from their own pollen isimpossible, the anthers being located under and below thestigmas which are at the end of the petal-like division ofthe style. It is a well established fact that certain insectsare most strongly attracted by certain colors and the bluesand purples are favorites of honey bees. It is these beesthat visit the Iris and are the chief agents of its fertilization.

14

SHOWY LADY ’S SLIPPER.Lady’s Slippers belong to that

most remarkable of plant families,the Orchids. Orchids are noted forthe peculiarity of their blossomswhich sometimes take very grotesqueshapes. Usually one or more of thepetals or sepals are greatly enlargedinto a sac, a broad platform or arecuriously slashed and subdivided.They are the most highly specializedof all flowers, each dependant uponthe agency of certain insects to in-sure their fertilization, some depend-ant upon the visit of just one speciesof insect ; if that one does not appear,no new seed will be set ; only a few

years of failure will result in the species being lost to thatlocality.

The expedient most often adopted by orchids to preventuseless insects from pilfering the bountiful supply of nec-tar is to have it at the end of a long slender tube or spur ;only a long-tongued insect can reach the sweet and it willbe found that the one that is best fitted for the purpose isthe one that is also adapted to best accomplish the fertiliza-tion of the blossom. For instance the large White-fringedOrchid is visited by a sphinx moth, which has a tongue ofjust the right length to drain the nectary. As he presseshis face into the tube to reach the last drop his eyes comeinto contact with tiny sticky buttons to which the pollenmasses are attached ; as he withdraws his head the pollenmasses are drawn from their pockets and project forward,one from either eye. Since the moth eye is a large com-pound one, the covering of part of the surface does not ser-iously inconvenience him ; he flies away to the next blossomand lo—the pollen masses are in just the right position tobe pressed into the stigma of that flower. Some of theseprocesses of fertilization are very complicated ones and arevery interesting to study.

15

PINK LADY ’S SLIPPER ; MOC-CASIN FLOWER.

This species is the most widely dis-tributed and one of the most abund-ant species. The single blossom topsa long stem that grows from twoclasping leaves at the base. Ourother species have leafy stems, thatis the leaves alternate up the stemalmost to the flower. The largest andmost magnificent variety is the ShowyLady’s Slipper, shown on the preced-ing page; the blossoms are also quitefragrant. Another species, the SmallWhite Lady’s Slipper, is not onlysmaller but lacks the crimson touchesthat so beautify this one. Ratherrare, except in our higher portions, are the small YellowLady’s Slippers, with their curiously bent and twisted brownsepals.

Pink Lady’s Slippers are locally met with in small col-onies in rather dry woods. The large, delicate pink blos-soms are fertilized through the agency of bumblebees. Heenters through the closed fissure in front, his strength beingsufficient to force his way in ; after eating his fill he takesthe easiest way out, through the top ; as he forces his burlyframe through the narrowing passage his back brushesagainst a sticky stigma removing any pollen that may havebeen brought from the previous blossom visited ; as he con-tinues, just before emerging, an anther blocks his passageand claps a fresh load of pollen on his back in readinessto continue the good work.

Our bumblebee is one of the most useful insects that wehave, performing the same duties to many species of plants.Very fortunately, he makes the rounds of flowers of thesame kind, thereby avoiding the waste of brushing pollen fromone species of plant off on another. Mutilated Lady’sSlippers are often caused by large bees, which bite theirway through the wall rather than force out in the propermanner.

16

WATER-LILY.The chaste purity and beauty of

our large white Water-Lilies, pictur-ed on the lower half of this illustra-tion, cannot be excelled and theirsweet fragrance in unequaled bythat of any other species. Althoughthe early Water-Lilies are picked ingreat numbers and sold on the streetsof our cities at so much per bunch,their period of bloom is so long andso many seeds are set from each blos-som that remains, that their numbersdo not decrease materially except invery restricted areas. The floatingleaves are large, four to twelve inchesacross, attached to the rootstock by

very long, round, hollow stems. The flowers have fourgreenish sepals, many waxy-white petals and a center ofmany yellow stamens. They open early in the morning, re-main open at least during sunshine and close at night. Theyare fertilized chiefly by small flies and bees, many of whichare attracted by the fragrance and the conspicuous bloom.

The joys of paddling a canoe along watery lanes dottedwith these magnificent flowers cannot be experienced byeveryone, but there is consolation in the fact that thesehardy Water-lilies can be successfully grown in our ownyards. Many residents in our cities have their lily pondsor tubs on their lawns ; they are particularly desirable fordecorative purposes since they are in bloom from the first ofJune until September and species of different shades, white,pink, red and blue, can be secured. An added pleasure issecured by introducing a few goldfish into the little pond,both for appearance and to prevent the breeding of mos-quitoes.

The upper picture illustrates the Yellow Pond Lily orCow Lily, a species that grows abundantly in many ponds,particularly in stagnant water.

17

WOOD ANEMONE ; WINDFLOWER.

This species, shown on the left ofthe picture, is exceedingly delicate inappearance but appearances are oftendeceptive for, frail as it seems, itblooms in April and early May.Swayed this way and that, with aviolence that threatens to demolish it,it safely weathers the most severestorms and with the appearance ofthe sun its nodding head beckons awelcome to the early bees. Very ap-propriate indeed is its most commonname of Wind Flower. The singleflower head rises above a whorl ofthree five-parted leaves that top aslender stem; the four to seven sepals are pure white withinbut purplish white on the outside ; they would spread aboutan inch, but are rarely seen fully expanded, usually hang-ing bell-like. The stem grows from a horizontal rootstock.RUE ANEMONE.

This species is smaller in every respect than the WindFlower. Both kinds grow in our woods, often side by side.Rue Anemone has a very slender and delicate stem growingfrom a little cluster of tuberous roots ; the whorl of leavesis more than three in number and each leaf has a heart-shaped base and is three-lobed ; instead of a single blossom,several flowers rise on slender stalks above the leaves.

Tall Meadow Rue is an ambitious, bushy looking plantthat rears its filmy flower heads from two to five feet aboveground in swamps or along streams. The long-stemmedleaves are many times compounded into small three-lobedleaflets ; the flowers are in feathery clusters, each composedof many long stamens and no petals, but having usuallyfour, early-falling sepals.

18

WILD COLUMBINE.In spring, Wild Columbine greets

us on rocky hillsides and in dry woods,its handsome pendent blossoms nod-ding a welcome to every breath ofair. Columbine is a hardy speciesunder cultivation but, although theblossoms attain a larger size, theylack the very daintiness that appealsto us in the wild plant. The slender,wiry, branching stem is set with three-parted leaves ; but it is the blossomsthat droop from the thread-like pe-duncles that interest us the most—bright red outside and yellow within ;each of the, five petals is funnel-shaped, terminated with a spur and

extending backward from between the projecting sepals.Nectar is contained in the tips of the slender spurs and itmust undoubtedly be a long-tongued creature that is ableto drain the cups legitimately. Small bees, that are un-able to get at the nectar in the proper way, are wise enoughto gnaw through the spurs and steal the sweets. The bigbumblebee, however, swings back down from the swayingflower with all the abandon of the trained gymnast on histrapeze and drinks to his heart’s content. Yet this is notthe creature for which the Columbine is waiting, althoughthe large bees can fertilize the flowers. If we are fortunatewe may see the visitor for which the flower flaunts itsflaming red advertisement ; with a buzz of wings a tinyHummingbird appears and, hovering before each blossom,quickly inserts his bill successively in the cornucopias. Redis the favorite color of our Hummingbird and whenever yousee a long-tubed red flower, you may be quite certain thatthe smallest of birds will sooner or later visit it.

Goldthread, shown on the right of the same plate, is asmall woodland plant, so named because of the bright yel-low, threadlike roots.

19

CELANDINE.Although this is a stranger in a

strange land, having come to ourshores from across the seas, it hasthriven and multiplied with the rapid-ity common to aliens and extended itsrange to include the whole easternhalf of the United States.

The stem is quite stout and verybranching. At the end of each branchis a loose cluster of buds on slenderstems ; these open one or two at atime commencing in May and contin-uing to bloom all summer. The flow-ers are half an inch or more broad;with four golden-yellow petals, along, slender, pointed green pistiland numerous yellow stamens. Towards the end of the sea-son, the continued flowering is marked by a large numberof long slender seed pods ; when fully ripened the podssplit at the base and allow the escape of the seeds.

The thin, soft leaves are divided into three to sevenhandsome scalloped leaflets. Both stem and leaves havevery acrid, yellow juices that stain everything they comein contact with. Celandine grows in abundance in wasteland, in rich moist woodland and along beds of brooks.

During April and May, in rich hilly woods, we may some-times find the peculiar plant known as Dutchman’s Breeches.The reason for the name is readily apparent to those whohave seen the little white trousers dangling along the slend-er flowering stalk, which rises from five to nine inches aboveground. The leaves are very much divided and slashed andall rise from the rootstock on long stems. Dutchman’sBreeches belongs to the Fumitory Family, all species ofwhich have finely divided leaves and smooth rather slenderstems which contain watery juices.

20

PITCHER PLANT.The Pitcher Plant is our most in-

teresting representative of so-calledcarnivorous or insectivorous plants. Itbelongs to a small family of bog-inhabiting plants having hollowleaves. Peat bogs and spongy, mossyswamps are its favorite haunts, andto such places we must go during lateMay or June if we are to see theunusual and handsome blossoms.Each individual flower hangs in aninverted position from the top of along slender hollow scape growingfrom the root. They are unusualboth in form and coloring as the ac-companying picture shows. Interest-

ing as the flowers are, it is the leaves that must claim themost of our attention—hollow pitchers radiating in all direc-tions. They are nearly always partially filled with water,some of which must be rain water received through the open-ing and some of which is a natural fluid secreted by theplant. This fluid is sweet and some claim intoxicating whileothers say it acts as an anaesthetic. In either case it isquite fatal to the insect endeavoring to partake of it. En-trance to the pitcher is easy over the hairs which all pointdownward, around the brim; once beyond these, the crea-ture slides down the slippery side to the water and is unableto crawl back or to fly upward once the wings have becomewet. Decomposing bodies of many species of insects areoften to be found in these pitchers, the resulting productsbeing absorbed by the plant.

The Pitcher Plant drowns its victims but our Sundews,which are common in sandy soil and often along roadsides,entangle theirs in the tiny sticky drops that exude from thetips of the many hairs covering the surface of the roundedleaves ; the leaf then slowly furls and actually digests itsvictim by means of its gastric juices.

21

WILD STRAWBERRY.(Shown by A in the opposite picture)HIGH BUSH BLACKBERRY.(Shown by B in the opposite picture)

These two plants need no introduc-tion and are only included becausethey are so very common and so pop-ular that to omit them would be analmost unpardonable offense in theeyes of the school children whogather the luscious strawberries fromthe low vines that trail through manyof our fields, or the equally delect-able blackberry that is to be found inthickets, along walls or by the road-side and whose thorns are often thecause of severe reproof of the par-ents when the child returns with frock or trousers sadly inneed of repairs.

Strawberries and blackberries belong to the Rose Family,a large family containing a very great many species ofwidely differing plants, but all agreeing in the feature ofhaving five petals and five sepals Presumably to protectthemselves from browsing mammals, many species whichdwell in open or pasture land are armed with sharp prickles.

One of our most common roses, the Wild Swamp Rose, isshown in our frontispiece. All our wild roses are what wecall single, that is they have but the correct number ofpetals—five. The beautiful monstrocities (I am using thisterm only in the sense of their being so widely at variancewith the original forms) produced by our gardeners andhorticulturists are nearly all originated from foreign spe-cies. Roses secrete no nectar but furnish an abundance ofpollen for the numerous bees, flies and beetles that visit them.

22

CINQUEFOIL ; FIVE-FINGER.The left hand picture shows the

common Cinquefoil, the one thatspreads so abundantly over fields andpastures, while on the right is SilveryCinquefoil, so called because of thesilvery appearance of the under sur-faces of the leaves. The latter spe-cies is most common in dry barrenground, especially near the coast.

The common Cinquefoil is regard-ed as a pernicious weed since itspreads so rapidly by means of itscreeping stem. It is often mistakenfor the Wild Strawberry or called theyellow flowered strawberry. There isa yellow flowered Barren Strawberry

that grows profusely on our hillsides and in small woodsbut it is easily recognized by the pretty trifoliate leaves thatcarpet the ground, often in the same localities as Cinquefoil.

STEEPLEBUSH or HARDHACK also belongs to the rosefamily although one would not suspect it at a casualglance. Yet each tiny pink flower has all the rose charac-ters except size. It is a very attractive plant or shrub stand-ing erect, from two to five feet tall, with reddish-brown stemclosely set with handsome leaves which are dark green aboveand light on the under surfaces, the whole topped off withthe delicately colored spire-like flower cluster. The flowersblossom from the summit downward and the period ofbloom is so long continued that by the time the lower flow-ers are fully opened the upper ones are faded and brownishin color. These small flowers secrete little or no nectar buthave an abundance of pollen and are consequently visitedby pollen eating bees and flies. These visitors cannot avoidcarrying pollen from plant to plant and shaking it fromupper flowers to receptive stigmas of flowers below. Hard-hack grows most abundant in low land but also in moistsituations at any elevation.

23

STONE or RABBIT’S-FOOTCLOVER.

(Shown by A in the opposite picture)COMMON RED CLOVER.(Shown by B in the opposite picture)

Clovers, which are among our bestknown and most valuable plants, arecharacterized by their three-parted ortrifoliate leaves and rather roundflower heads. A very common spe-cies and the most noticeable one be-cause of the size and color of theflower heads, is Red Clover. It ispresent in nearly every field, meadow,pasture and yard and is visited by agreat many handsome butterflies aswell as several species of bees. It issaid to be so dependant upon our common bumblebee forfertilization that without the aid of this insect, the cloversoon perishes. The little pink florets, which compose theflower head are sweet scented and abound in nectar. Thewhitish inverted V-shaped mark in the middle of eachleaflet adds much to the beauty of the plant.

WHITE CLOVER is a smaller plant in every way, butthe white or pale pink florets that make up the smaller flowerhead are very fragrant. This species is one of the mostuseful for honey bees and also furnishes excellent fodderfor cattle, large fields being often sown to it for both pur-poses. It also roots very readily and makes a good founda-tion for lawns ; hence clover seed is usually sown with grassseed for the making of new lawns.

RABBIT’S-FOOT CLOVER is a small but very attrac-tive species that abounds everywhere. The small elongatedflower heads are very soft and silky owing to the long, pink-ish feathery tips to the five-parted calices. They are vis-ited by the smallest of butterflies, particularly by the hand-some species usually known as the Little Copper Butterfly.

24

WOOD SORRELS.Wood Sorrels are handsome but

very dainty and delicate plants, theWHITE WOOD SORREL (shown byA in the opposite picture) beingvery abundant in cool, shady recessesof mountainous regions where thehandsome leaves often carpet theground in large patches. The leavesare quite clover-like but are broadlyheart shaped at the ends of the leaf-lets. They are so very sensitive thatthey fold up every night, duringcloudy or stormy weather and alsoupon being touched.The juices ofthe plant are very sour, in fact Oxalicacid, which is so often used for re-

moving the stains of iron rust from clothing, is made fromthe leaves of this very species, which is native to Europeand Africa. During June, white, pink veined, five-petal-led flowers appear, one on each stalk, above the green leaves.

VIOLET WOOD SORREL is very similar except thatthe flowers are colored as shown in B on the picture on thispage and two or more blossoms appear from the top of eachflower stalk. This species is not nearly as abundant as thepreceding one.

WILD GERANIUM or CRANESBILL is found grow-ing abundantly in most open woodland and thickets. Boththe flowers and leaves of this plant are strikingly handsome,the former being quite large and showy, with five, rounded,delicately veined rose-purple petals, and ten violet-tippedstamens surrounding a curious elongated green pistil whichgives the plant the name of Cranesbill. This pistil is thepods in which the seeds develop and when matured, it splitssuddenly sending the seeds sharply in all directions, thisbeing one of the plants that adopts the “spring-gun” methodfor distributing its seeds. The leaves are large and coarse-ly veined, five-cleft and notched and slashed. The flowersare quite fragile, drooping soon after being plucked andthe petals fall off upon the slightest provocation.

25

YELLOW WOOD SORREL ;LADY ’S SORREL.

This species is not a woodlandplant but blooms abundantly in fields,gardens and along roadsides as well.From April until October the brightyellow blossoms show their shiningfaces above the frail leaves; theyopen only during sunshine and closeeach night, at which time the leavesalso fold up umbrella-fashion. Thesensitive leaves are quite acrid, hav-ing a flavor very similar to those ofthe leaves of the common Red Sorrel.

F R I N G E D P O L Y G A L A orMILKWORT is a pretty little plantgrowing in rich moist woods orswamps. The leaves and form of the plant are somewhatlike that of the common Wintergreen, but the leaves aremore pointed at the tips. The pretty pink flowers that ap-pear during May and June are quite orchid-like, three ofthe petals forming a central tube enclosing the stamens andthe other two wide spreading like wings, and suggesting tochildren the title of “Bird-on-the-wing” by which they oftenknow the plant. They also bear tiny underground flowersthat are self-fertilizing, while the outer ones, which areborne in pairs, are dependent upon bees for transferringpollen to their stigmas.

FIELD or PURPLE MILKWORT is a sturdy littlepink-headed plant that grows in fields or along roadsides incompany with Hop or Yellow Clover and it is a singularfact that the flowers of these two plants belonging to dis-tinct families should be similar in form. The leafy stemwhich grows from six to twelve inches tall, branches at thetop and each branch terminates in a cylindrical flower head,the flowers proper being concealed beneath the pink, scale-like sepals that closely overlap one another. The bloom isfrom the bottom of the head upward, the lower rows ma-turing and dropping away as the flowering continues.

The name Polygala is derived from the Greek, meaningmuch milk and was given these plants since it was believedcattle feeding upon them gave more plentifully.

26

J E W E LW E E D o r S P O T T E DTOUCH-ME-NOT.

Jewel-weed grows in rank, almosttropical profusion in moist ground,particularly about the edges of pondsor along watercourses. The reasonfor its name is not difficulty to under-stand when one sees the funny littleorange cornucopias hanging fromtheir slender stems like jewels pend-ent from a lady’s ear in the oldendays. There are many, however,who claim a different origin for thename ; perhaps they are right,—wecannot say. The thin toothed leaveshave a peculiar texture that shedswater ; after a rain or heavy dew, we

will see glistening drops collected along the margins of theleaves and it does not even require a fertile imagination tosee in them, jewels such as only Nature can produce.

This plant grows from two to five feet in height, having areddish, smooth branching stem along which the leaves al-ternate. The flowers hang in pairs from the axils of theouter leaves, although usually but one of them opens at atime. The peculiar flower has three petals and three sepals,one of the latter forming the crooked sac in the base ofwhich nectar is concealed. While some bees and moths areable to get at the nectar, apparently Hummingbirds whichvisit the blossoms frequently are the benefactors for whichthe plant is catering. However seed will be set, even ifneither bird nor insects visit the blossoms, for Jewel-weedbears also cleistogamous flowers that never open and whichfertilize themselves.

The plant is of more than passing interest even after theflowering season because of the curiously twisted seed podsthat take the places of the blossoms. When these are ripen-ed, the slightest touch causes them to instantly split andcoil so quickly as to send the seeds flying two or three feetin every direction. Even though we know just what is goingto happen, one cannot help being startled at the very sud-denness of the “explosion.”

27

ROSE MALLOW.The Rose Mallow is one of the

most strikingly beautiful plants to befound in our range, but it grows, ex-cept very locally, only in slightlybrackish marshes or swamps alongour Atlantic seaboard. The stout-stemmed plant grows from three toseven feet in height and has verylarge leaves, from three to eightinches in length. But it is the mag-nificent blossoms that attract our at-tention,—mammoth pink beautiesmeasuring four to eight inches across.The stamens are united into a largecolumn, bearing anthers on the exter-ior surface ; the pist i l projectsthrough and beyond this column. The newly opened flowersin which the pollen is ripened, are wide spread so that beesmay get at the nectar at the base and get pollen on theirbacks without coming into contact with the yet unripenedstigmas ; but they carry this pollen to older flowers whichare partially folded and in trying to get by the five stigmasthat partially block the entrance cannot avoid dusting someof the precious grains on the sticky surfaces.

MARSH MALLOW, the plant from the roots of whichthe mucilagenous substance so much used in confectionaryis made, belongs to a different genus from the Rose Mallow.It is not common here but has been naturalized from Europein a few places near the coast. Its pink flowers are muchsmaller than those of the preceding species, being not morethan an inch and a half across.

The COMMON MALLOW is an abundant weed aboutold farm houses and along some country roads. Countryschool children are very familiar with it for it furnishesthem with the so-called “cheeses” that they delight in eat-ing. It is a low and spreading plant having rather prettynotched and lobed leaves and small pale blue or white flow-ers, measuring barely half an inch across.

28

BLUE VIOLETS.On the left in the opposite picture

is shown the COMMON, PURPLEor MEADOW VIOLET, one of themost delightful species and one thatgrows in profusion everywhere. Indry fields we find the plants smalland the blossoms low down so as tobe partly shielded by the grass; inmeadows and marshes, the leaves andthe flowers have exceedingly longstems, but in cool, shady, moistwoods we find the plants in theirmost perfect form and proportion.Violets are favorite flowers witheveryone; they, lack only a sweetscent to make them ideal. So many

violets are collected every year to make, nosegays for theyoung ladies that it is very fortunate that, they are not en-tirely dependent upon the visible flowers setting seed, or thespecies would become very rare. That it does not diminishin numbers is due to the fact that at the base ; sometimesunderground are tiny flowers that never open and that fer-tilize themselves and produce seed. Of course enough of theshowy flowers are cross fertilized by bees to keep the plantsfrom degenerating by continued inbreeding. These violetsare often transplanted to the garden or raised in hothouses,in the latter case the blossoms sometimes attain a somewhatlarger size than they do even under the most favorable con-ditions outside. The present species, which is technicallyknown as Viola cucullata, has the heart-shaped leaves allgrowing from the base on long slender petioles. Anothercommon blue violet, the CANADA VIOLET (V.canaden-sis), shown by the picture on the right hand, has a leafystem and the flowers raised on slender stems rising from theaxils of the leaves. Still another species, very abundant inthe southern states and of local occurrence in our range,known as BIRD-FOOT VIOLET (V. pedata), has theleaves which proceed from the base, deeply cut into fromfive to eleven parts. This species also has unusually largebright orange anthers blocking the entrance to the flowerthroat.

29

WHITE VIOLETS.Although not nearly as showy and

conspicuous as their larger blue andpurple cousins, SWEET WHITEVIOLETS have an attraction thatthe others do not have in that theyare sweet scented. Like the blueones, they grow small and short inunfavorable situations and long-stem-med and fairly large in the marshesor moist woods that are their prefer-able haunts. The flowers are small,expanding less than a half inch.Fine purplish lines running downthe throat guide visiting insects tothe nectary at the base of the shortspur. Smaller and shorter tonguedbees and butterflies usually visit the white violets, whilethose with comparatively long tongues only, can reach tothe bottom of the longer spurs on the blue violets. Theleaves of this species, all proceeding from the base of theplant, are heart-shaped at the base but much rounder thanthose of the Common Blue Violet.

The LANCE-LEAVED VIOLET, also a white species,is taller and more slender than the Sweet White variety andthe flowers are usually a trifle larger although less sweetlyscented. A distinct and ready means of identification isfurnished by the long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves whichgrow from the root. Late in summer they send out manystolens or runners which take root at intervals and form newplants. These violets also bear cleistogamous flowers, tinyones concealed among the bases of the leaves, which settheir seed without unfolding. Consequently these plantsare exceedingly well fitted to battle successfully for theirexistence. They require wetter situations than most blueviolets and in such places greatly outnumber their blue cou-sins although their smaller size and modest colors renderthem inconspicuous by comparison.

30

YELLOW VIOLET.Yellow Violets are much more

local in their distribution than otherspecies. They prefer rich but notmoist woods and are most oftenfound in small colonies along thebanks of woodland brooks. Theyhave always been prime favorites ofmine because in a certain piece ofwoods where a small brook tumblesits noisy way over the stones downthrough the alders that line its banks,a colony of Yellow Violets has beenestablished for a longer time than Ican remember. The space occupiedby them is barely larger than an or-dinary room, but in this spot they

grow in such profusion that the leaves hide the ground.This same place is an ideal one for migrating birds and theviolets are always in bloom on May tenth when the seasonof migration is at its very height. Furthermore, in the ald-ers, almost over my bed of violets, a pair of Wood Thrushesnearly always have their home. So whenever I see this spe-cies, it always brings to me memories of this favorite spotand of Wood Thrushes. There are two kinds of YellowViolets, the downy and the smooth, the former having ahairy or downy stem and the latter having a number ofbasal leaves during its flowering season.

The Yellow Violet is one of the tallest members of thefamily, its stem ranging from six to eighteen inches inheight. Usually two pairs of leaves branch out from thestem and from the axils grow the flower stalks. The twoside petals of the handsome yellow flowers are heavilybearded and the lower one has prominent veinings leadingdown the throat. The markings are presumed to be guidesfor insects to follow to reach the nectar at the end of theshort spur and the hairy beard is for them to hold to as theyreach within and to force them to brush against the stigmaand anthers in the proper manner. After the floweringseason, the Yellow Violets have numerous small, closed, self-fertilizing blossoms on runners from the root.

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PINK AZALEA ; WILD HONEY-SUCKLE.

During early May, suitable richwoods, thickets and hillsides areaglow with the beautiful pink blos-soms of Azalea. The rosy blush isthe more prominent because the flow-ers commonly appear before or justas the leaves commence to grow. Col-lectively, the blossoms make a mostwonderful picture and each individ-ual flower is also beautiful in formand color. Considerable nectar issecreted at the base of the long flowertube, which is so filled with the longstamens and pistil that only long-tongued insects are able to reach thebottom. The bumblebee is an abundant and probably themost useful visitor. He first brushes against the very long,protruding style, the sticky end of which collects some pol-len from his underparts, then clambers over the shorterstamens, dusting himself with fresh pollen before he gets atthe desired sweets. That the handsome flower is but an ad-vertisement to attract the useful insects is shown by thefact that soon after having been visited the whole corollabecomes loosened from the calyx and slips down to the endof the long style, where it hangs for a few days beforefalling to the ground.

Less common than the preceding species, is RHODORAwhich is shown in the lower half of the picture. This isa much lower shrub than Azalea, found in similar habitatbut not as abundant anywhere. The corolla is long-tubedbut instead of flaring out into even lobes, it has a three-notched, broad upper one and a smaller two-cleft lower lobe.

WHITE AZALEA or SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE isless common than the pink species and is chiefly confinedto swamps near the coast. The flowers are quite similar tothe others except that they are white, the tube is longer andthe whole blossom is quite sticky. The flowers appear inJune and July, long after the shrub is fully leaved.

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MOUNTAIN LAUREL.Some of our most famous paint-

ings have been of homely and com-monplace scenes ; some of our mostbeautiful birds are reckoned asabundant ; and it is the same with ourwild flowers, although we are apt toregard most highly those speciesthat are the most difficult to obtain.When I wish to see the most gloriousfloral panorama that Nature pro-duces, I visit Laurel or Spoonwoodswamps during the latter part ofMay. Great masses of beautiful pinkand white blossoms top the hand-some, dark-leaved shrubs. In fav-orable places where the soil is very

rich, Laurel grows even more luxuriantly on wooded hill-sides than in the more extensive swampy tracts. The stiff,oval, deep green leaves are evergreen and very decorative,so much so that great quantities of them are gathered forthe making of wreaths, a practice that is gradually forcingone to make longer and longer journeys from the largecities if he wishes to see Mountain Laurel in its haunts.

Each individual flower is very interesting in form andstructure. The buds are always pink and the opened flow-ers frequently are, the degree of pinkness depending uponthe nature of the ground and the amount of light that isreceived by them. The corolla is saucer-shaped, with fivepoints. A single short pistil rises in the center of the corol-la, surrounded by ten stamens which are bent outward sothat their tips are caught in little pockets provided forthem ; these little pockets also contain the fine pollen grains.If we touch one of the stamens on a mature flower, ever solightly, snap,—it is released from its pocket and springsforward, throwing out its little load of pollen. Each blos-som then, has ten spring guns all set and ready to be dis-charged as soon as a visiting bee touches them. As thewinged creature visits the next flower some of the pollenthat is dusted on the under surface of his body touchesthe stigma of the pistil even before his feet have disturbedits stamens enough to discharge them.

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SHEEP LAUREL ; LAMBKILL.On moist hillsides and in fields we

may find patches of the smaller, low-growing laurel, known as SHEEPLAUREL. The individual flowersare fully as pretty or perhaps morebeautiful than those of MountainLaurel as they are of a very brightand particularly handsome shade ofpink, but the shrub itself and theflower masses are far inferior to thepreceding in point of beauty.

Very abundant in mountains fromPennsylvania southwards, but of verylocal occurrence within our rangeis the GREAT LAUREL or RHOD-ODENDRON. In its southern hauntsit grows in almost unbelieveable profusion and to a greatheight, covering whole mountain sides and being, for a fewweeks in June and July, one of the wonders of Nature. Theleaves are very similar to those of the Mountain Laurel, butthe individual flowers I do not consider as handsome asthose of that species. They are five-parted, broadly bell-shaped, white or pinkish and more or less spotted with yel-low or orange.

Although the nectar of the laurels apparently is not in-jurious to the insects that partake of it, honey made bybees feeding upon it is slightly poisonous and the leaves ofall species are quite poisonous to all animals that eat them.

The famous TRAILING ARBUTUS or MAYFLOWER,which also belongs to this same Heath Family, grows, asnearly everyone knows, on rocky hillsides or in woods,particularly under evergreen trees. Few flowers are asfragrant as are these little pink and white beauties thatbrave the raw weather of March and April and whoseodor is very suggestive of that of the Water Lily. Unfor-tunately, Arbutus is yearly becoming less abundant owingto the great quantities that are gathered and to the factthat the pickers pull the vines up root and all.

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H E D G E B I N D W E E D ; W I L D MORNING GLORY.

This attractive flower belongs tothe Convolvulus Family, a smallgroup or climbing or twining plantshaving regular, perfect bell or fun-nel-shaped flowers. Trailing throughany wayside hedges, thickets or alongold fences or walls, we are apt tofind Wild Morning Glory firmly em-bracing the object of its support. Inone large swamp I have found thisplant showing a marked preferencefor climbing the stalks of Turk’s-capLilies, which grow there in profusion,with the result that the strangle holdsecured by the present species usual-

ly results in the distortion, wilting or death of the support-ing plant. Bindweed is a plant of very rapid growth andis said to often make a complete turn in its left-handedspiral within two hours.

The flowers, at least until after they have been fertilized,open only during sunlight or sometimes during bright moon-light, at such times as their long tongued insect benefactorsare apt to be abroad. It is probably that its most usefulvisitors are some of the sphinx moths that visit it after dark.Each of the five white stripes that alternate with the pinkones on the corolla of the flowers, lead to a nectary in thebase, entrance to which is gained only through long tubes,thus preventing short-tongued insects, not capable of bene-fitting the flower, from partaking of its sweets. This orna-mental plant remains in bloom from June until September.

COMMON DODDER is closely related to the last spe-cies but in addition to the climbing and twining tendenciesof the latter, it is wholly parasitic and derives all its sus-tenance from the juices of its victims. Starting from a tinyseed the plant grows up the stem of a neighboring plant,develops little “suckers” that penetrate the bark of its fosterparent, its roots wither away and it lives ever after uponits unfortunate victim. The stem is leafless, yellowish-orange and bears tiny bell-shaped whitish flowers.

35

GREAT MULLEIN.The Common or Great Mullein,

which is shown at the left on the op-posite picture, is one of the common-est plants along our roadsides andin dry, rocky fields. In spring, tinyvelvety leaves first appear, thesegradually increasing in size until theybecome quite large and spread out ina rosette on the ground. From themiddle of this rosette appear a tinystalk which also keeps increasing insize and length until finally the sum-mit may be from two to seven feetabove ground. A few smaller leavesalternate in erect positions along thisstalk. At the summit is a long spikeof green buds which open a few at a time and very irreg-ularly into pretty five-parted bright yellow flowers. Thesestalks stand all through the fall and winter months as silentwatchers over to barren fields. Even though classed onlyas a weed, it is a very handsome one, visited by many beesand the summit used by many a Kingbird as a convenientlookout perch. Children find many uses in their play fromthe soft, woolly leaves and in former times mild decoctionswere also made from them for the relief and possible cure ofthroat troubles.

MOTH MULLEIN, also found in neglected or wasteplaces, is tall but slender and apparently rather frail,—quite different from the stocky, powerful species last de-scribed. The flowers are shown at the right in the illus-tration on this page. They are larger and handsomer than thelast, the bright orange-tipped stamens being quite prom-inent. A very loose cluster of buds appears at the topof the stalk and only one or two of them open each day, re-maining open only for the one day.

The leaves, which seldom are present during the flower-ing season, are rather small and erect, and have notched ortoothed edges. They have not the woolly texture of thelast species but are smooth. Although known as Moth Mul-lein, it is believed that bees are the most frequent agentsfor fertilizing the blossoms.

36

TOADFLAX; BUTTER-AND- EGGS.

Although an immigrant fromEurope, pretty Toadflax which isshown on the right hand of the oppo-site picture, has multiplied andspread, like the English Sparrow,until it is now found throughout ourcountry from the Atlantic to the Pa-cific Oceans. Even without the blos-soms, it is an attractive and decora-tive plant, the closely set, narrow,grayish-green leaves furnishing anagreeable contrast to the other foli-age. It usually grows in such densecolonies that the effect produced isa very pleasing one.

The flowers grow in a spike at the top of the plant, eachtubular, yellow blossom having a two-lipped corolla, theupper one being of two lobes and the lower of three, thecentral one of which extends back into a slender spur andhas a protruding, pouting, orange palate that closes thethroat of the flower. This arrangement, which is designedespecially for the bumblebee, effectually closes the entranceto the interior to all light-weight bees and ants, but theweight of the bumblebees, together with his strength, easilyforces the lips apart and he can partake of the nectar at hisleisure. It is not at all difficult for one to see why the nameof Butter-and-eggs should have been applied to this plant,the palate being just the color of an egg yolk and the restof the flower the color of good butter.

BLUE TOADFLAX is a smaller species growing insandy soil. It is not nearly as sturdy a species as the pre-ceding, in fact the slender stem is ofttimes too weak tostand erect and the pretty blue blossoms are literally drag-ged in the dust. Both small butterflies and bees visit thelittle blossoms, which are too weakly constructed to pre-vent the sweets being drained even if they wished to. Thename Toadflax is an opprobrious one applied to these plantsbecause before the flowers appear the foliage is somewhatlike that of the true flax.

37

PAINTED CUP ; INDIAN PAINTBRUSH.

Although, at a casual glance, onewould not suspect it, this plant be-longs to the Figwort Family, as wellas the species of toadflax and themulleins. The reddish stem risesfrom a basal tuft of leaves and is al-so set with three to five-cleft leaves.The tiny greenish-yellow flowers atthe summit of the stem are concealedby scarlet tipped, three-cleft bracts.Depending upon the nature of thesoil and the amount of light received,the bracts are sometimes yellow-tip-ped and less often may be whollygreen. Painted Cup grows in moistsandy soil in meadows or thickets and is quite local in itsdistribution. It is somewhat parasitic in its habits, its rootsoften attaching themselves to those of other nearby plantsand stealing some of the juices they are storing up for theirown use.

FALSE FOXGLOVE is a very pretty plant growing indry sandy thickets or woods, that has similar parasitic ten-dencies, attaching its roots by little disks or suckers to thefine roots of trees or those of other plants. The beautifulpale yellow flowers, arranged in pairs loosely along theupper part of the stem, are nearly two inches in length.The corolla is bell-shaped, with five spreading lobes, fiveorange-tipped stamens and a protruding sticky-tipped pis-til which receives pollen from a previous flower, from thebodies of incoming bees. The construction of these blos-soms is such that bees always enter them upside down inorder to be able to reach the nectar in the base ; thereforethey get the pollen which is released from the anthers bythe pressure of their bodies, on their underparts where it isin just the right position to be implanted on the stigma ofthe next flower they visit. The leaves grow oppositely uponthe stem, the upper ones being smooth edged and the lowerones toothed or lobed.

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BLUETS ; INNOCENTS.From April until July, large beds

of pretty little Bluets often trans-form our green fields into misty,bluish-white areas. While they areso very abundant that little atten-tion is usually given them, these lit-tle flowers are quite interesting.They are dimorphic, that is differentflowers are differently constructed.Some have a long, two-parted pistilthat comes even to the end of thetiny little bell-shaped corolla and theanthers or pollen sacs are located inpairs near the bottom of the tube ;other blossoms have a very short pis-til and the anthers are on opposite

sides near the outer end of the tube. This is a very cleverarrangement for insuring that pollen from the one kind offlower shall be left on the stigma of the other kind, which isusually on an entirely different plant. A bee visiting ahigh-anthered flower receives pollen near the base of histongue and it can only be left at a plant which has flowerswith a high stigma. The same is true of the flowers inwhich the anthers are low in the tube. An inspection ofseveral clumps of these flowers will readily disclose the twokinds of blossoms, the differences being plainly evident inthe shapes of the outside of the tube.

PARTRIDGEBERRY belongs to the Madder Family,as do bluets, and has dimorphic flowers like those of thelast species. The vine trails along the ground, putting outits handsome round, dark green, white-veined leaves inpairs. The pinkish-white, four-lobed, bell-shaped flowersalso grow in pairs at the ends of the stems and branches.They are not only beautiful but nearly as sweet scented asArbutus. In fall the flowers are replaced by a single twin-berry bright red in color. These berries last through thewinter, provided they are not sooner eaten by birds, andthe leaves are evergreen too.

39

CORAL or TRUMPET HONEY-SUCKLE.

This is a very ornamental woodyvine growing from eight to fifteenfeet in length, climbing over bushesor twining about the branches ofyoung trees. The leaves are arrang-ed oppositely, the lower ones havingshort stems, while those near theends of the branches clasp the stemand are united at their bases. Theform of the flowers and the terminalleaves is shown in the opposite illus-tration.

As is well known, red is the favor-ite color of our tiny Ruby-throatedHummingbird and we find that thisbird is one of the flower’s chief visitors and about the onlyone capable of reaching the nectar at the end of the longslender tube. In a wild state, Coral Honeysuckle is locallydistributed in southern New England and New York butis very abundant in southern states. In fall, each floweris replaced by an orange colored berry, these berries beingeaten by migrating birds and thus the seeds often scatteredfar and wide from the place of their growth. This is oneof Nature’s surest schemes to insure the starting of newcolonies of plants.

WILD WHITE HONEYSUCKLE, which is naturaliz-ed from Europe, grows very abundantly in the south and isof local occurrence in tangled thickets in southern New Eng-land and New York. It is an agile climber, often twiningits way up trees to the height of forty or more feet. Seatedin clusters in the cup formed by the united terminal pair ofleaves are the handsome and very fragrant flowers. Thecorolla tube is white within and pinkish or yellow on theoutside, spreading into two lips, the upper of which hasfour lobes and the lower one being narrow and curved down-ward. The pistil and five stamens are very long and pro-trude far beyond the confines of the corolla. Its seeds arespread by migrating birds which eat the bright red berriesthat adorn it in fall.

40

CARDINAL FLOWER.As the Scarlet Tanager is among

the brightest and most glorious of ourbirds, so the Cardinal Flower isamong our wild flowers. The gor-geous red blossoms are so very attrac-tive that few can pass them by, withthe result that the constant pickingis rendering this species more diffi-cult to find each year. The tallstraight stem is rather closely setwith alternating, toothed-edged leavesand the summit is, during Augustand September, topped with thebeautiful spike of flowers as shownin the opposite illustration. The pre-ferred habitat of the Cardinal Flower

is moist or low ground, especially along small streams. Ifwe wait patiently near some of the flowers we are quite sureto see visiting it, that little winged jewel that the flower tooawaits, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. As he poises onhumming wings, before each flower in turn, he easily sipsthe nectar from the very base of the long slender tube andat the same time fulfills the life mission of the flower bysetting its seed.

GREAT LOBELIA is almost a duplicate of the CardinalFlower except that its flowers are blue and are less delicate-ly and gracefully formed. Even though it may suffer bycomparison in point of beauty, it is far more abundant inits chosen retreats on moist land or beside brooks. The rea-son is not difficult to discover for does it not flaunt the favor-ite color of the bees, its greatest benefactors, and bees arevery common while Hummingbirds, upon which the Car-dinal chiefly depends for its fertilization are comparativelyrare. This also explains why it is that we have such a smallnumber of brilliant red wild flowers. The stigmas of theseflowers mature later than the anthers on the same blossoms ;consequently it is necessary that pollen from later plants bebrought by bees to those on which the stigma are in areceptive mood.

41

GOLDENRODS.Goldenrods and in fact all the

flowers on the following pages be-long to that greatest of all plantsfamilies, the Composites. These havethe small tubular flowers grouped inlarge heads and frequently surround-ed by conspicuous rays for the ex-press purpose of attracting insectvisitors. The Goldenrod shown inthe opposite picture is Early Golden-rod and is also quite similar to Can-ada Goldenrod, both of which spe-cies are among the most abundant ofthis most prolific genus. Goldenrodsare very decorative and this speciesis one of the most graceful of themall, the flowering spikes curving in the most artistic manner.The flowers have eight or ten tiny golden-yellow rays. Thisspecies is abundant along roadsides and in dry fields andwoods.

LANCE-LEAVED GOLDENROD is easily recognizedbecause lance-shaped leaves are very closely crowded alongthe stem and the flowers are grouped in a large flat-toppedcluster. This species is also occasionally known as BushyGoldenrod and again as Fragrant Goldenrod, the latter be-cause the crushed leaves and flowers are quite fragrant. Itblooms very abundantly during the fall months in fields,woods or along the roads.

BLUE-STEMMED GOLDENROD is a rather slenderspecies with toothed leaves alternating along the wholelength of the stem and with short spikes of yellow flowersgrowing from the axils of the upper leaves. The individualflowers are larger than those of the proceding species andhave three to five comparatively long golden rays. Thisspecies too is very common, especially so in woods.

SILVER-ROD or WHITE GOLDENROD, also a slenderspecies, with the flowers evenly clustered in an oblong ter-minal spike, is the only one of the genus with white, orrather creamy-white flowers. In fact it is so different fromthe usual goldenrods that it requires more than a casualglance to identify it as such.

42

THE ASTERS.Like goldenrods most of the asters

bloom in fall and also like the lastspecies they are very strong numeri-cally. The flowers heads are com-posed of a central disk of numerousyellowish, tubular florets surround-ed by strap-shaped flowers or rays.These flower heads are rarely singleand often occur in great numbers ona single plant.

SMOOTH ASTERS, which is thespecies shown here, are abundant indry soil and are in bloom from Aug-ust until October. The ray floretsare of a particularly handsome shadeof blue. The plant is quite branch-

ing and the flower heads exceedingly numerous. It is par-ticularly distinguished from other varieties by the fact thatthe leaves clasp the stem with a distinctly heart-shaped base.

NEW ENGLAND ASTER are one of the largest of thisgenus, attaining heights of two to six feet. The leaves aresmooth-edged and lance-shaped. The flowers are ratherlarge and purple rather than blue, containing thirty or fortyrays about the golden center.

MANY-FLOWERED ASTER is rightly named for theflower heads are almost innumerable. The plant is verybranching or bushy and each branch terminates in clustersof numerous but small flower head with white rays.

WOOD ASTERS have comparatively few flower heads,the centers are brownish yellow and the rays long, white,narrow and few in number. The leaves of this species arelarger than those of the many-flowered species.

GOLDEN ASTERS abound in summer in dry sandysoil particularly near the sea coast. They are low branch-ing species seldom attaining a height of more than a foot.The numerous flowerheads have brownish centers and brightorange-yellow rays. All asters are fertilized by bees orother visitors crawling over the central disk of florets.

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BLACK-EYED SUSAN ; CONE-FLOWER.

The bright orange and purpleheads of these pretty flowers may beseen in many of our fields from thelatter part of May until September.The hairy stems, which grow one ortwo feet in height, are exceedinglytough and difficult to break with thehands. The leaves, too, are hairy andvery rough to the touch. This spe-cies is an original native of the west-ern states and is one of the very fewplants that have travelled from thewest to the east in our country. Eachstem is simple and unbranched butseveral of them often spring fromthe same root, each terminating in a single large showyblossom.

The conical, dark purple center is composed of long tubu-lar florets that ripen in successive rings about the cone, afringe of yellow pollen showing which ones are matured.The orange-yellow rays are neutral, with neither stamensnor pistils. They have their use, however, in attractingto the flowers, bees and butterflies to feast upon the nectarand the pollen.

ROBIN’S PLANTAIN is one of the earliest of the Com-posites to bloom, because of which it is sometimes called theBlue Spring Daisy. Most of the leaves are spatulate inshape and form a rosette at the base of the stem ; a fewother smaller ones clasp the stem alternately, diminishingin size until they reach the small cluster of flowers at thetop of the stem. The central disks are dull yellowish andthe numerous narrow rays are a pale purplish-blue. Bothstem and leaves are very fuzzy. It is a common plant eitherin dry or moist soil, in fields or in woods and blooms duringMay and June. The rootstock is perennial, new plantsspringing up from the same every year, which together withthe new ones soon form large colonies.

44

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE.This is an interesting native plant

often known as the Wild Sunflower.Indians and early colonists used itstuberous roots much as we use pota-toes today. It was also carried abroadand cultivated extensively, particu-larly in Italy, where it was known asGirasole Articocco (Sunflower Arti-choke), from which name it was cor-rupted into the Jerusalem Artichoke aswe k n o w i t n o w. T h e s t a l k ,which grows from six to twelve feetin height is very rough and the three-ribbed, toothed-edged leaves, the low-er ones of which are set oppositely onthe stalk, are also rough,—this

roughness presumably being to discourage crawling insectsfrom reaching the summit. The several flower heads aretwo or three inches across and consist of from a dozen totwenty rays about a greenish-yellow center. This speciesnaturally grows in somewhat moist thickets but is oftenseen in or about old gardens where it continues to grow asa reminder of the days when it was cultivated for food.

COMMON SUNFLOWER as a wild plant is native tothe western half of the United States. The flower headsnormally grow but from three to six inches in diameter, butunder cultivation they often attain a mammoth size. Theyare grown for their ornamental beauty and also for the sakeof the numerous seeds produced in the central disk. Theseseeds form a staple diet for most species of parrots. Gold-finches like them too, and pay frequent visits to gardensthat contain them. Many bird lovers plant sunflowers justfor the sake of attracting and feeding these birds duringthe winter months. Although sunflowers are now grown innearly all civilized countries, they all originally came fromAmerica. Several other similar species occur in our range,nearly all being found in low meadows, thickets or swamps.

45

BEGGAR-TICKS; STICK-TIGHT

One does not have to be a botanistor even a lover of flowers to knowBeggar-ticks. Anyone who trampswoods and fields in fall is apt to atany moment find his clothes bristlingwith the little black, two-hookedseeds. They are well named “Stick-tight” for it is absolutely impossibleto brush them off ; they must be pick-ed from the clothing one by one.They give anyone a very practicaldemonstration of the methods thatsome plants use to distribute theirseeds in new localities, although thechances are that the victim as heplucks and casts them away does not realize that he is do-ing just what the plant had planned for him to do, foundnew colonies.

Beggar-ticks is shown by the picture on the left hand. Itis a very branching or bushy species, attaining height oftwo to eight feet. The prominently veined and toothedleaves are quite handsome but the flowers, seated in a littleterminal rosette of leaves are small and inconspicuous, justa few very short, tiny rays surrounding the small clustersof brownish florets which later will be the “ticks.”

BUR-MARIGOLD or BROOK SUNFLOWER belongsto the same genus and has the same disagreeable habit ofattaching its seeds to clothing or fur of animals. The flowerheads, however, are quite handsome as they measure nearlytwo inches across and are composed of eight or ten broadyellow rays about the brownish-yellow center. Bur-Mari-gold is shown at the right in the illustration on this page.

COMMON WHITE DAISIES, although naturalizedfrom Europe, are one of our commonest field flowers. Theyneed no description for who does not remember having hisfortune told by plucking one by one the white rays that sur-round the golden center. Equally abundant is TANSY withits aromatic, finely divided leaves and rayless yellow flowerheads.

46

PASTURE THISTLE.This is the thistle that we most of-

ten see in fields and pastures. Itis one of the largest species, the flowerheads often measuring three inchesacross and usually with only one ortwo flowers on a single plant. Thestem is stout and straight and fromone to two feet tall. The alternatingleaves are jagged-edged and armedwith very sharp prickles as is also thelarge involucre that contains thepink florets. The object of all thisarmor is to make it difficult for andto discourage crawling insects fromgaining the top of the plant. ThePasture Thistle is the species shown

in the opposite picture.CANADA THISTLES, so called, are in reality waifs

that have strayed across the ocean and have multiplied andbecome very numerous throughout our range. This speciesgrows from one to three feet in height.The stem is slenderand quite branching and at the end of each branch are manysmall flower heads measuring but little over an inch across.The leaves, too, are much more slender than those of thepreceding species but have just as many and just as sharpprickles. After maturing each of the florets is replaced bya small seed with a silky parachute on which it can floataway to new pastures. The seeds are eaten by birds, par-ticularly goldfinches which also work considerable of thedowny plumes into the lining of their nests.

DANDELIONS also are included in the great Com-posite Family. They grow almost anywhere and every-where, particularly on lawns or in other places where theyare not wanted. Everyone is familiar with their rosettesof jagged leaves and with the handsome flowerheads com-posed of golden-yellow, strap-shaped florets, each perchedat the summit of a hollow stem. The yellow flowers are re-placed within a few days by a round misty ball of seedsand their parachutes, ready to be blown far away at theslightest breath of air.

WILD BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND

A companion souvenir or gift book to the present one. It

pictures in color forty of our wild birds and gives text

descriptive of the habits of more than a hundred. It is a

most beautiful book to send to friends either here or in

other parts of our country.

The birds described are selected so as to give the habits of

the most representative birds of nearly all families.

In the back of the book is a COMPLETE LIST of the

birds of this region, giving the season they occur and

whether they are residents, migrants or breeding birds here.

The price is low, the book is beautiful and it will be

very useful to anyone whether they are now acquainted with

birds or not. In a neat box. 50c postpaid.

GAME BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICABY CHESTER A. REED, S. B.

This guide will prove a very valuable and useful book for

sportsmen and equally acceptable to all who appreciate a

bird book finely printed, beautifully illustrated and accurate

in its contents.

The text describes the habits and modes of capture of

ducks, geese, shore birds and upland game birds, in fact all

those birds that are legally game for the sportsman. The

illustrations, which are new and especially designed for this

book, show 90 SPECIES OF GAME BIRDS IN THEIR

NATURAL COLORS.

Size 5 x 7 in. ; handsomely bound in durable paper covers.

Neatly boxed so that it will make a very desirable gift for

any of your sportsmen friends. It not only describes and

shows pictures of the game birds in your locality but also

gives a perfect idea of just what other sportsmen in other

parts of our country secure for game.

Only 60c net ; postage 5c.

LANDLANDLANDLANDLAND BIRDSBIRDSBIRDSBIRDSBIRDSBy CHESTER A. REED, S. B.

An illustrated, pocket text book that enables anyone toquickly identify any song or insectivorous bird found east ofthe Rocky Mountains. It describes their habits and peculiari­ties ; tells you where to look for them and describes theirnests, eggs and songs.

EVERY BIRD IS SHOWN IN COLOR, including thefemales and young where the plumage differs, from water­color drawings by the 4­color process. The illustrations arethe BEST, the MOST ACCURATE, and the MOST VALU­ABLE ever printed in a bird book.

“LAND BIRDS” is the most popular and has had theLARGEST SALE of any bird book published in this country.It is used and recommended by our leading Ornithologistsand teachers. 230 pages.

Bound in Cloth, 75c. net; in Leather, $1.00 net; postage, 5c.

WATER BIRDSBy CHESTER A. REED, S. B.

This book is uniform in size and scope with LAND BIRDS.It includes ail of the Water Birds, Game Birds and Birds ofPrey, east of the Rockies. Each species is ILLUSTRATEDIN COLOR from oil paintings; the bird, its habits and nestinghabits are described.

The pictures show more than 230 birds in color, everyspecies found in our range. They exceed in number those inany other bird hook.In quality they cannot be surpassed—exquisite gems, each with an attractive background typical ofthe habitat of the species.

“LAND BIRDS” and “WATER BIRDS” are the only books,regardless of price, that describe and show in color everybird. 250 pages, neatly boxed.Bound in Cloth, $1.00 net; in Leather, $1.25 net; postage, 5c.

CAMERA STUDIES OF WILD BIRDS IN THEIRHOMES

By CHESTER A. REED, S. B.Interesting text and 250 illustrations from actual photo­graphs of living wild birds. Some of the finest ever made.300 pages, 5½ x 7½, cloth bound.

$2.00 net; postage, 20c.

FLOWER GUIDEBy CHESTER A. REED, S. B.

A g u i d e t o t h e c o m m o n w i l d f l o w e r s f o u n d i n t h eEastern and Middle States .

Wild Flower Guide is the same size and score as BirdGuide. It has an extraordinary sale and has been adopted and usedin quantities in many of our leading colleges and schools.

The COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS, 192 in number, arebeautiful, artistic and accurate reproductions from oil paint­ings; the finest series ever made. The text tells where eachis found, when it blooms, whether in woods, fields, swamps,etc., the height that the plant attains, whether it is self­ferti­lized or cross fertilized by insects and how ; in fact it givesa great deal more information than one would think possiblein a book to fit comfortably in the pocket.

Bound in Cloth, 75c.; in Leather, $1.00; postage, 5c.

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS’ EGGSBy CHESTER A. REED, S. B.

This is the only book on the market that gives illustrationsof the eggs of all North American birds. Each egg is shownFULL SIZE, photographed directly from an authentic and wellmarked specimen. There are a great many full page platesof nests and eggs in their natural situations.

The habitat and habits of each bird are given.It is finely printed on the best of paper and handsomely

bound in cloth. 350 pages—6 x 9 inches.$2.50 net; postage 25c.

NATURE STUDIES—BIRDSA book to start the young folks along the right paths in

the study of birds. Interesting stories. 40 colored illustra­tions. 112 pages.

60c net; postage, 10c.

NATURE STUDIES IN FIELD AND WOODA book to call attention to the many interesting creatures

to be seen on every hand,—in brook, pond, field, swamp, woodsand even in the dooryard. 40 illustrations. 112 pages.

60c net; postage, 10c.

A NEW BOOK

Birds of Eastern North AmericaBY CHESTER A. REED, S. B.

Author of “Land Birds,” “Water Birds,” “North American Birds’Eggs,” “Color Key to North American Birds” (with Frank M. Chap-man), etc.

This will undoubtedly be THE BIRD BOOK of the year. Nothinghas ever approached “Land Birds” or “Water Birds” as guides forthe identification of birds. It is doubtful if any book will for many,many years appear, which is the equal of the present one in valueand completeness of text and illustrations and at anywhere near aslow a price.

It is authentic. The author KNOWS birds. He has studiedthem for thirty years,—in the hand, for plumage, and in theirhaunts, for habits. He has studied them in their homes and hasphotographed hundreds as they were actually feeding their young.Besides being able to write about these things in an interesting andinstructive manner, he is classed as one of the foremost bird artistsin America. This rare combination of Artist-Author-Naturalist hasproduced, in “Birds of Eastern North America,” the ultimate birdbook.

The technical descriptions aided by the pictures give perfectideas of the plumages of adults and young.

The descriptive text gives the important and characteristic fea-tures in the lives of the various species.

The illustrations,—well, there are 408 PICTURES IN NATURALCOLORS; they show practically every species including male,female and young when the plumages differ, and they are perfectlymade by the best process. No other one bird book ever had any-where near as many accurately colored pictures.

Bound in cloth, handsomely illuminated in gold; 464 pages (4½x 6½) ; 408 colored illustrations; every bird described and pictured.

$3.00 net; postage 15c.

CHAS. K. REED. Worcester, Mass.

FIELD GLASSES FOR BIRDSTUDY

or equally good for the mountains, sea shore or theatre, orwherever a large, clear image of an object is desired.

We carefully examined more than a hundred makes of fieldglasses, to select the ones best adapted for bird study.

We found one make that was superior to any other of thesame price and equal optically, and nearly as well made asthose costing three times as much.

They magnify about three diameters, and have an unusual-ly large field of vision or angle of view, making it easy tofind a bird or keep him in sight. Price only $5.00 postpaid.

CHAS. K. REED - - Worcester, Mass.