Autumn 



tains and in the dry thickets of the low- 

 lands we encounter occasionally one of 

 the most attractive of the tribe — the sweet 

 golden-rod, with shining, dotted, narrow 

 leaves, which yield, when crushed, a re- 

 freshing anise-like odor. 



The different asters are affording the 

 loveliest shades of blue, purple, and lav- 

 ender. Pre-eminent for richness of color 

 and beauty of detail are the large, violet- 

 hued, daisy-like heads of the showy aster, 

 a species which is found growing in sandy 

 soil along the coast. In the woods, nod- 

 ding from tall stems, we notice the grace- 

 ful, bell-like flower-heads of the rattle- 

 snake-root. 



A friend writes me that in parts of Con- 

 necticut the swamps are still bright with 

 the great blue lobelia, and that the yellow 

 flowers of the bur-marigold are abundant 

 in the roadside ditches. This last-named 

 plant holds its own through the first frosts 

 till well on in November. Its duU-look- 

 141 



