WILD FLOWERS rHAT liOYS AND GIRLS SHOULD KNOW 



BY R. W. SHUFELDT, C.M.Z.S. 



MAW a girl and man)' a l)o\ in this couniix ilflij;lit 

 in spending a good share of their time in thr 

 woods and field-^ at nearly all times of the year. 

 If the conntrv they gel into ])ossesses a certain degree 

 of wildness, with lakes, and ])onds, and marshes here 



botanists : tlu-y ean often eorreetly name a comparati\el\ 

 long list of the local s])ecies, and jjossess a fair smatter- 

 ing of the elements of the science. These reqnire no 

 pressing to he induced to take to the o])en with the \'ie\\ 

 of gathering s])ecimens new to them, and adding to their 



ITTF. RED r.\RDl\Al. FLOWERS 



Fig. 1. — -When these are in hloom in the 

 midsummer time, or in the early autumn 

 farther north, you will find them growing 

 along streams, or in marshy places. Often 

 you can notice them quite a lonR ways off. 



and there, and with their nalnral 

 outlets of streams, so nmch the bet- 

 ter. Among these yonng ramblers 

 there are generally a fair nnmber 

 wlio take a certain amonnt of in- 

 terest in the wild Bowers they 

 come across, and who probably 

 know the names of a good many 

 of the dandelion, clover, or butter 

 cup class ; but, unless something 

 arouses a deeper interest, they 

 never get along any further than 

 this. A fewer number have mas- 

 tered the English names of a longer 

 list of species, and are fond of tak- 

 ing flowers home to be kept a few 

 days in receptacles containing water. 

 Finally, the exceptional few, hoth 

 girls and boys, are essentially young 



store of knowledge in other 

 ways ; they are the very one-- 

 to helj) the others along, and 

 are, under proper guidance, 

 more than eager to do so. 



Now it should be the jjride 

 of every .Vmerican girl and 

 everv .American boy to hi- 

 able to name all of the flow- 

 ers which are met with while 

 out on tri]is through the coun- 

 try : such an accomplishmeiu 

 has no encl of advantages, 

 and in more ways than one 

 thinks. 



What we have before ns 

 this fine August day is to all 

 get together, and start out 

 for a long raiuble over the 

 fields, through the woods, 

 along the edges of streams 

 and marshes, and see just 

 how many wild flowers we 

 can find out something ahout 

 — where they grow, what they 

 look like, a n d what their 



THF,SF. ARE EASY TO IDENTIFY 



Fig. 3. — Surely you all remember the bright yellow 

 flowers, like these, which you found in big patches 

 in the marshy places and by the creeks, when you 

 (irst visited the woods vtrry, very early last spring. 

 They are called Dog-tooth Violets or Yellow Adder's 

 Tongue. 



WHAT IS THIS BUSH? 



In., J. — It is not often that we meet with a 

 f,'irl or a boy that cannot give the name of 

 the bush that bears the flowers shown in this 

 picture. It is one of the most beautiful flowers 

 in our country, and it has been named the 

 McMmtain Laurel. 



names are. This is lots of ftm, 

 and yon may be sure it is not the 

 last time you will want to try it. 

 < )n this first scout we will get after 

 only the most abundant and easy 

 ones to examine and name. .\s yon 

 know, in the right kind of coun- 

 try, wild flowers grow nearly 

 everywdiere, and there are hundreds 

 of different species or kinds of 

 them. This must not discourage 

 \riiL however; for you will soon 

 find out that, after you have stud- 

 ied o n e big, show-y flower and 

 named it, what you have learned 

 about it will make it much easier to 

 studv the next one you bring home 

 for the purpose. 



The chief help yon will have 



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