30 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



SPRING IN STONY PARK., 



BY LESTON A. WHEELER. 



SPRING came slowly to Stony Park last year; an open 

 winter was followed by a cold and backward spring. 

 The wild flowers were slow to start and those who pushed 

 bravely up were met by cold winds, cloudy days and an oc- 

 casional snow squall. On April 17th, when I made my first 

 visit to the park, I met with a scant welcome. There were 

 but few things to record except a sort of vague promise for 

 the future. There were a few plants of spring beauty {Clay- 

 tonia Carolhiiana) thrusting up their delicate leaves in a 

 sheltered spot beside a rock and a dozen or more stout points 

 were showing where the heal-alls {Habenaria orhiculata and 

 H. Hookerii) had their dwelling. These orchids are in the 

 vanguard of the armies of plants which will later cover the 

 earth with their beatuy. I have known them, when the ground 

 was not frozen, to come up beneath the snow. 



Other early plants are the Hepaticas {H. triloba and H. 

 acutiloba) blood-root {Sanguinaria Canadensis) and the yel- 

 low daffodil of our grandmother's garden {Narcissus pseudo- 

 narcissus). None of these are native to the park; a part 

 of the first was sent me by a friend in New York and a part 

 were procured by my sister while teaching in Newfane, Vt. 

 The second I found last year in all its beauty beside a road 

 in Townshend. The last were taken from nearby gardens. 

 All are at home, the last rivaling the natives in earliness. 



By the 22nd, I found a few of the dainty pink and white 

 blossoms of spring beauty in a warm place and a few more 

 warm days brought them in their millions. Hepaticas were 

 also in bloom; one root showing beautiful blue flowers; the 

 others were nearly white. A cool week passed before I again 

 had time to visit my wild friends again, and when I did so it 

 was to find the army steadily advancing with many new species 

 in the ranks. Viola Sclkirkii was blooming in the seam of 



