April and Early May 



tus, the purity of the bloodroot, the 

 grace of the adder's tongue, the dehcacy 

 of the whitehearts, the audacity of the 

 columbine have in turn challenged our 

 allegiance. Yet one is tempted to fore- 

 swear one's self anew in favor of the less 

 conspicuous plants. The hillsides are 

 whitened with tremulous anemones. Be- 

 neath their leafy arches droop the modest 

 blossoms of the bellwort. At the base 

 of some old oak nestle the soft puff-balls 

 of the dwarf ginseng. And then there 

 are violets, tall, leafy-stemmed yellow 

 violets ; low white ones, brown-veined 

 and sweet scented ; violets of blue, of 

 lavender, of purple, fringing the brook, 

 and paving the meadow, and flooding 

 the swamp with waves of royal color, 

 always returning to the old, familiar 

 haunts, yet always seeming like new 

 creations of amazing loveliness. 



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