BLOSSOMS BY THE WAYSIDE IN 

 THE ROCKIES 



By Blanche H. Soth. 



TD EMINISCENT hunters, hikers and fishermen invariably 

 ""-^- omit mention of one form of wild life that is rampant 

 in the scenes of their experiences. They never tell us any- 

 thing about the wild flowers. If it were not for scattered 

 phrases such as "shelter of the timber," "pasture for the horses" 

 and "brilliant with flowers," one might suppose that the places 

 that they visit were destitute of vegetation. Do they mentally 

 classify all the yellow blossoms as "sunflowers, "and call all 

 the blue ones "blue bells?" 



The native of the middle west takes it for granted that 

 there will be violets and sweet-williams by the river roads in 

 the spring and iron-weed and golden-rod in the pasture lots 

 in August. Does he notice when he cruises westward that 

 these familiar flowers give place to yucca and prickly poppy? 

 Doesn't he see the prickly pear until he steps up; in it. or marvel 

 at the evening glow of the western star unless its foliage sticks 

 to his coat to make him notice it? 



Of course, I don't expect you to turn aside from the high- 

 way to "botanize," but I would have you note in passing the 

 exquisite rosy funnels of the bush morning-glory which, by 

 the way, has a root as big as your head, and look with com- 

 prehension upon the Rocky Mountain snow-ball, the evening 

 primroses and the paint brush. Take a little interest in the 

 great number of butter-fly shaped blossoms, lupines, vetches. 

 buck-beans, loco-weeds, and milk vetches, of which genus alone 



