GOLDEN CORYDALIS 



Corydalis flavula (Raf.) DC. 



May III the sand country grows the golden corydalis with 



Sandy roadsides its leaves wliieh remind one of those of dutclunau's 



l)ieeclies, .iiid lloueis which helong to the corydalis 

 alone. Pure, bright yellow niid highly ornamental in their shape, winged 

 and crested and lipped and jiullVd. the llowers of golden corydalis sud- 

 denly take the ilower-linder away I'lom the realm of the connnou and 

 the ordinary. The corydalis always has tlie U)ok of sometiiing very 

 special. Even though it is not especially rare, though localized in the 

 sand country near the rivers, the golden corydalis gleams in the May 

 sunshine and plays its own little part in tiie progress of the spring. 



The leaves arc iiudy nit and pale grey-green. I'nlike the dutch- 

 man's breeches leaves, which they superficially re.-cnililc. the cor\'dalis 

 leaves do not si)ring separately with the Jlower stems from the root. 

 The stems, instead, are hranched and hear leaves along them, with 

 the flowers in curving racemes at the to]>. Delicate, jxtiscd on thin little 

 stems, the corydalis llowers come and go, and the |>rairie horned lark 

 which leaves its tracks in the sand held rears it« young in a nest in 

 the chmip of hluestem grass close hy. "When the young aiv out of the 

 nest, they may come walking that way and j)ick at the little thin .secxl- 

 pods of the corydalis, and eat the small seeds that rijxMi there. 



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