46 WASPS AND THEIR WAYS 



and joyfully rifles, turning no longing 

 gaze towards the honeyful spurs and cups 

 not open to its enjoyment. 



There are certain flowers that may be 

 justly called wasp-flowers, because the 

 head of the wasp and the cup of the 

 flower fit each other so prettily. One of 

 these is the figwort. There are two species 

 of this odd plant in our country, the Mary- 

 land figwort, which blossoms later and 

 grows larger, and the early smaller Hare 

 figwort. 



These are common weeds that might be 

 passed a thousand times without notice, 

 because the flowers are small and incon- 

 spicuous, but when one knows they are 

 wasp-flowers they at once become more 

 interesting. 



The figwort grows abundantly where it 

 does grow, and in good soil the larger 

 species attains a height of eight or ten 

 feet, though it is usually from three to 

 five feet tall. 



