Bird Life in Southern Illinois 



413 



from a distance, the hills seemed covered with a light snowfall, is yet fresh in 

 our memories. On the lower grounds grow, very thickly in places, blue and 

 white violets, purplish white and yellow erythroniums, Dutchman's breeches, 

 bloodroot, and dwarf larkspur, with two wild 'flags' {Iris hexagona and /. 

 versicolor), the fragrant lizard's tail, and many other semi-aquatic species in 

 the wetter spots. On the hills, the most abimdant spring flowers (next to the 

 spring beauty) are the blue phlox {P. divaricata), short-stemmed spiderwort 

 (Tradescantia brevicaulis, decidedly a finer plant than T. virginica, its relatively 

 large flower var>ang from intense \aolet to pale mauve, rose-pink, magenta, 



THE MEADOW JUST AFTER MOWING 

 (The creek hidden by trees and shrubs extending across middle distance) 



rhodamine purple or, occasionally, almost tyrian purple — a range of color 

 very unusual among wild plants but a characteristic feature of this) ; other 

 plants of more or less striking appearance being the May apple {Podophyllum) 

 Trillium recurvatum, Indian turnip or Jack-in-the-pulpit, and its more con- 

 spicuous (as well as more abundant) relative, the dragon-root {Ariscema dra- 

 contium), and the stately columbo {Eraser a carollnensis) . In summer there are 

 black-eyed Susans {Rudbeckia), monardas, and other flowers, and in autumn a 

 considerable variety of goldenrods, asters, sunflowers, and other compositae, 

 and, in moister or more shaded spots, the blue lobelia, the cardinal flower, as 

 the purple-flowered turtle head {Chelone ohliqua). 



The native flora has, since our ownership of the place, been greatly aug- 

 mented by the planting of many trees, shrubs, and vines, chiefly those of a 



