CROWFOOT FAMILY 43 



or more. Those which '' haunt the glen " vary 

 much in size, according to the strength of their 

 foot-hold, but none are more picturesque than 

 these. As you see the flaming blossoms standing 

 out from the side of the precipitous ledge you 

 wonder that the elements do not tear the plants 

 from their frail supports. 



The .Columbine is found in blossom from April 

 until June, the height of its season in New Eng- 

 land and the northern states occurring in May. 

 The long spurs secrete in their enlarged tips a 

 store of nectar which is eagerly sought by the 

 queen bumble-bees abroad during the period of 

 blooming. Normally, these visitors alight on the 

 open end of the flower, inserting their tongues 

 through the tubes to the spur. As they make the 

 circuit of the five nectar-spurs the under sides 

 of their bodies and their legs rub against the 

 stamens and pistils. In young blossoms the pis- 

 tils only are extended against the body of the 

 visitor, the stamens being as yet curved up within 

 the flower. These soon curve out, however, so 

 that the abundant pollen is ready to be carried 

 from blossom to blossom. The result of this 

 arrangement is that cross-pollination is ver}^ likely 

 to occur through the agency of the bees that bring 

 to newly opened flowers the pollen from those 

 longer open. 



But many bumble-bees bite through the 



