34 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



places which are not a type location. It is for us to realize this 

 even though it cause much weary search, or we may not record 

 the facts. I may say from experience that sometimes the 

 search is long, though often well rewarded. The prairie re- 

 gion contains many distinctive plants not found naturally else- 

 where. Once very abundant they are now hard to find if not 

 already exterminated by the invasion of agriculture. The sun 

 loving flowers are restricted chiefly to the steam or electric 

 right of way or to bits of unused land. The shade loving 

 varieties have been less disturbed, particularly in the river val- 

 ley, while the aquatics have suffered greatly by the drainage 

 of prairie swales and sloughs. 



The third condition is a patient task. The light is fre- 

 quently from the wrong direction or there is sunshine when 

 we would prefer shade. The wind seems incessant even on 

 days that appear calm; this requires you to keep constant 

 watch of the subject. These disturbing factors make the 

 work much more difficult when large size photographs are 

 made, as exposures of several seconds are necessary. Por- 

 traits of many flowers are better made growing; being diffi- 

 cult to revive after wilting, and some will not revive at all. 

 However long the search for a desirable specimen may be or 

 weary the wait to photograph it, you are rewarded by the 

 pleasure of the search, and not the least is the satisfaction of 

 the result. 



The prairie rose (R. Setigera) is a lover of the open, yet 

 it is often found elsewhere. I like to think of it as growing 

 on the edge of expansive prairies and my search was re- 

 warded with a satisfactory though not ideal example. The 

 woodland phlox (P. divaricata) prefers a mixture of sun and 

 shadow. It blossoms early before the shade is too heavy, 

 growing out to the edge where woods meet prairie, rarely if 

 ever beyond. So my search was for a specimen which would 

 be near the edge of the woods. The compass plant (Silphium 

 laciniatum) is very individual in habit, growing far above 

 most of its neighbors, and it becomes very effective when 

 silhouetted against a sunset sky. On consideration of each 

 subject we may perhaps find some character of the plant which 

 will portray it in a more individual way. 



