IN THE FLAT-WOODS. 27 



as I passed), I came upon some white beg- 

 gar's-ticks, like daisies ; and as I stopped 

 to see what they were, I noticed the presence 

 of ripe seeds. The plant had been in flower 

 a long'time. And then I laughed at my own 

 dullness. It fairly deserved a medal. As 

 if, even in Massachusetts, autumnal flowers 

 the groundsel, at least did not some- 

 times persist in blossoming far into the win- 

 ter ! A day or two after this, I saw a mullein 

 stalk still presenting arms, as it were (the 

 mullein always looks the soldier to me), with 

 one bright flower. If I had found that in 

 St. Augustine, I flatter myself I should have 

 been less easily fooled. 



There were no such last-year relics in the 

 flat-woods, so far as I remember, but spring 

 blossoms were beginning to make their 

 appearance there by the middle of February, 

 particularly along the railroad, violets in 

 abundance ( Viola cucullata), dwarf orange- 

 colored dandelions (Krigia), the Judas- 

 tree, or redbud, St. Peter' s-wort, blackberry, 

 the yellow star-flower (Ifypoxisjuncea), and 

 butterworts. I recall, too, in a swampy spot, 

 a fine fresh tuft of the golden club, with its 

 gorgeous yellow spadix, a plant that I had 



