THE LA RUE HOLMES NATURE LOVERS LEAGUE. 



181 



5 The La Rue Holmes Nature Lovers League 5 



By George Klingle, Summit, New Jersey 



Explanation;- The aims of this League are in many respects the same as those ol The Agassiz Association 

 rnerefore it has been proposed that the adult interests be represented by "The Guide to Nature" and thai the 

 League co-operate, or possibly be affiliated, with The Agassiz Association — E F B 



August Wild Flowers. 



Though the months of spring are 

 rich in pleasure for the wild flower 

 lover, nature has her wealth in flora 

 through other months as well, and in 

 this latitude to August is given lav- 

 ishly of botli tender and rich coloring. 



The flowers that bordered the mea- 

 dows and roadsides in July linger over, 

 in many species, in undiminished 

 beauty, while other blooms are open- 

 ing to tell us, in true Autumn fashion, 

 that the reign of Summer is over. 



FALSE DRAGON HEAD 

 Rapidly Disappearing 



Among blooms in white, which do 

 so much to beautify fields and road- 

 sides in early August, is the mountain 

 mint, of pretty delicate foliage and 

 clustered white flowers, held on deli- 

 cate stems perhaps eighteen inches 

 above the ground. 



The white snakeroot (Eupatorium 

 ageratoidee) too, a more imposing and 

 beautiful resident of woods, comes 

 with the late summer, its white clus- 

 ters of small tubular blossoms rival- 

 ing in beauty, far and away, that other 

 Eupatorium the boneset, blooming 

 simultaneously and adding its share 

 of attractiveness to spaces, chiefly pre- 

 empted by the purples and reds of the 

 iron and Joe Pye weeds. 



Another choice bloom of the August 

 woods and hedgerows is the Culvers 

 root (Veronica Virginica), form of 

 beauty which we share with the flower- 

 lovers of Japan, where the same spe- 

 cies is to be found. No eye finding 

 pleasure in nature's grace can fail to 

 be attracted by the tall swaying stems, 

 reaching five or six feet in the air, with 

 their lance-shaped,whorled leaves and 

 surmounted by numerous slender 

 spikes of white ; a fairy-like company 

 stirring with every breath of passing 

 air. 



Those of us who are lucky enough 

 to find also the rapidly disappearing 

 starry campion (Silene stellata), whose 

 loose panicles of white flowers are 

 hung on tall, slender, waving stems, 

 must look for it longer than we used 

 to do, unless we happen to know where 

 it yet survives the vandalism of today. 

 It is one of the members of the catch- 

 fly family, which belongs to our east- 

 ern flora, and is quite beautiful enough 

 with its fringed, airy bells, to occupy 

 a place in any garden. If the lover of 

 flowers, who has not yet learned to 

 find pleasure in looking upon their 



