Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 301 

 325. SLEEPY CATCHFLY 



SILENE ANTIRRHINA L. 



Common, especially in sandy places. Very abundant in the 

 sandy open flats west of the Assembly grounds. 



A most business-like plant. Like many others it has "regular 

 office hours" during which the flowers are open to insect visitors. 

 In addition visitors are admitted "only at the office door." "No 

 admittance" signs in the shape of sticky patches are posted just 

 beneath each node, and such thieves and robbers among the insects 

 as try to get in any other way than the proper places are likely to 

 get caught. These sticky places, inconspicuous at first, darken with 

 age, and an old, much-branched plant with its little dark band 

 of insect "bird lime" at each joint of the stem is an inter- 

 esting and instructive object. The first man who wrapped cot- 

 ton or what-not about his plum tree to keep curculios from getting 

 up had no patent on the process and might have even improved 

 it by using something sticky. 



Where this catchfly grows among tall bluegrass, the swaying 

 plants often come into contact with each other and the sticky places 

 of the catchfly gather crops of ripened grass seed. 



326. SOAPWORT; BOUNCING BET 



SAPONARIA OFFICINALIS L. 



Common on banks along the railroad, especially at the ice- 

 houses; also by the Assembly grounds, along the depot grounds, 

 and east of Lakeview Hotel. The plants also form a dense patch 

 along the railroad north of the lake. This plant is usually found 

 in open sunny places but along Yellow River below Plymouth is a 

 dense patch in woods. The plants grow in thick patches and form 

 regular flower-beds, conspicuous for a considerable distance. All 

 the flowers seen at the lake were single, as is usually the case with 

 the railroad patches. The plants bloom to some extent until clipped 

 by frost. This is a favorite flower with humming-birds, which can 

 often be found in considerable numbers where the patches of bounc- 

 ing bet are. 



327. COW-HERB; COCKLE 



VACCARIA VACCARIA (L.) Britton 



Collected by Dr. Scovell quite early in the series. Probably 

 found in waste places. 



