THIMBLEWEED 



Anemone cylindrica Gray 



June Mid-. I line, .iiid the caiioiiy of Icivrs to shade tho oak woods 



Woods lias orowii dense and the lower strata has heeonie sha(lc-lovin<r. 

 Notliintr which needs lull sunshine will last lonjr here, hut the 

 plaids of the siiininer shade now come into their hest development. Xow 

 on the rocky hanks, often on the cool noith slopes of wooded hills, tlie 

 thimhleweed. one ol' the anemones, is in hlixmi. 



Its leaves remind mie nl' those of jirairie anemone: they are almost 

 alike, hut j)erha|)s not >o deep a green hecause of the shade they need. 

 From the top wlioil of leaves rise lon<j, .slender, fii)rous steins, and at 

 the top of e;i( li. poi-ed in lie.iuty and ihe pei-fection of a simple flower, 

 is a single hlosstmi. It lias live petals of i;i-eenish white, arranirtnl around 

 a central cone of ])istils and stamens. When the petals drop away at 

 last, this seed-eone lemains and grows larger. l'erhaj)s it might be called 

 thimble-shaped — at least this is the thing which gave it it*! name. 



Tjate in the autumn the thimbles of this woodland am^mone burst 

 apart and the cottony seeds and "packing" llv into the air. Xext s])riiig 

 the iliilV which remains may lie [licked up liy a uhiiiing hummingbird 

 who will lly in a swift upward swei'p to a h.ori/contal branch of an oak. 

 Here a miniature cott(Uiy nest is constructed of plant llulT and down, 

 upholstered with s|)ider webs and i)ale green lichens. The hummingbird 

 and the thimhleweed — the.^e are part of the summer wocxls. 



