THE EAELY FLOWEES. 



Among the vernal flowers are usually classed all those 

 which in propitious seasons are open during the month 

 of April, like the ground-laurel, the draba verna, and 

 the hepatica, also during the month of May, like the 

 anemones, violets, bellworts, and Solomon's seals, which 

 are among the true Mayflowers. Within the space of 

 these two months the most delicate and interesting flow- 

 ers of the whole year come to perfection, beginning with 

 the epigiea and hepatica, and bringing along in their rear 

 myriads of bellworts, ginsengs, anemones, saxifrages, and 

 columbines, until the procession is closed by the cranes- 

 bill, that leads forth the brilliant host of summer. 



The vernal flowers are mostly herbaceous and minute. 

 They grow in sheltered situations on the southern slopes 

 of declivities and the sunny borders of a wood, and re- 

 quire but a short period of heat and sunshine to per- 

 fect their blossoms. They are generally pale in their 

 tints, many of them white, and often tinged with deli- 

 cate shades of blue or lilac. The anemones of our woods 

 are our true Mayflowers. They seldom appear before the 

 first of May, and there is hardly a solitary one to be seen 

 after the first week in June. The ground-laurel, vul- 

 garly called Mayflower, is usually in perfection in the 

 middle of April, and, except very far north, is out of 

 bloom by the middle of ]\Iay. There are some of our 

 early flowers that remain in perfection during a part of 

 the summer, until they lose their charms by constantly 

 intruding themselves upon our notice. Such are the com- 



