STARRY CAMPION 



Silene stellata i L. ) Ait. 



Summer Most suininci- llowors are stout and sturdy and the flowers 

 Woods themselves are able to withstand nnich sunshine and heat 

 witlioiit witlierin<;. But the starry cani]>i(»n, lh)wer of niid- 

 sumiUiM- woods, is as (lelicate rs a sprin*; ))lossoni. It wilts almost at 

 once when it is |iiike(| or when the heat is intense even in the shady 

 woods, and dandles its buy l>ells briefly before they fall. 



The stany campion's tlower when it is spread widely shows live 

 ])eta]s which aic deeply laeiniate or cut almost tlu' length of eaeh ])etal. 

 It ii|)|)ears almost to be a uroiip ot white tatters of laee held tojretber by 

 the ])ale, green-white calyx. It is one of the few really delieate and 

 fragile sunnner wihl llo\vei> in the Illinois woods. 



The flowers are arranged in pairs and ilnsters along the tall, pale 

 stem. The leaves are stendess, tapering, grey-green, and slightly downy, 

 arranged in wh;)rls of four along the stem. This pattern is a good in- 

 dication of the ])lant's identity even when it is n<it in bloom. 



Stai-ry cam|iion is part of that ])lant and animal comnumity whieh 

 is found in the mixed oak wooil- in the snnuner. I iidei- the shade of 

 the leafy canopy there are few llower.< — the iam])ion, the skullcaj). the 

 American bellllower. the tick trefoil, and the tangle of bedstraw matted 

 on the ground. Here the wood pewi-e on a high dead twig cries plain- 

 tively all day long, and the re(l-eyed vireo endlessly explores the treetops 

 and sings a monotonous song, lieneath the camjiions, the chipmunks 

 scurry about on their minutely important errands, and a beetle, glisten- 

 ing with iridescent blue and blaik, climbs a campion stalk and then takes 

 wing through the summer woikIs. 



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