228 



HINTS AND NOTES 



by such plants as thistles, which (like scrub) 

 have a more close-set spreading habit than the 

 tree type, here the Grasses. The ground flora 

 is made up of trailers, such as the Yellow 

 Cinquefoil, frequent also on roadsides and 

 banks, and rosette plants, such as the Daisy. 

 In the case of these their close or open char- 

 acter is due to the effect of the two higher 

 zones, or overcrowding and the dominance of 

 sturdier plants, apart from main causes such 

 as soil. 



An interesting inquiry may here be set on foot 

 as to the chief plants in each zone, and at 

 different points vertical sections may be made 

 from the highest to the lowest zone to show 

 the relation of one to the others, especially in 

 relation to the amount of light. 



The types of meadow along the coast, in the 

 lowlands and in the highlands, on nearly bare 

 rocks or upon thick soils, may be studied in 

 relation to height, and compared. 



Flowering of Meadow Plants. The open- 

 ness of the meadow as a whole causes the 

 flowering of meadow and pasture plants to be 

 less restricted to certain seasons than in the 

 case of woods where more sun (later in the 

 summer) is needed for fruition, e.g. for bulbous 

 plants. So that on the whole, disregarding 

 the differences in latitude, and their effect on 

 different areas, meadow and pasture plants 

 bloom far earlier than other types. Thus 

 amongst Orchids the Green-winged Orchid is 

 in flower before the Purple Orchid of the 

 woods, as is the Spotted Orchid in front of 

 the Marsh Helleborine, whose moister habitat 

 retards its blooming. 



As a whole, most meadow plants are peren- 

 nials, though some, as Annual Meadow Grass, 

 are annual. As part of the dominant vege- 

 tation of the earth this is quite natural, for the 

 perennial has a far greater chance of succeed- 

 ing than the annual, and the biennial than 

 the annual. 



As in all types of vegetation, the flowering 

 periods of certain groups of plants are char- 

 acteristic of certain months. Thus the Com- 

 posites are, as a rule, late -flowering, the 

 Autumnal Hawkbit lingering far on into 

 winter even. The Grasses also flower rather 

 late, usually between May and July. But 

 Vernal Grass and Meadow Foxtail are to be 

 found in flower in April. There are also 

 phases of flowering. The spring is charac- 

 terized by the Lady's Smock and Lesser 

 Celandine, and some early Buttercups and 

 Daisies. Later, the Cowslips, Clovers, Self- 

 heal, Bugle, come on, whilst last of all, the 

 Meadow Saffron revives the touch of spring 

 when the thistles are specially in evidence. 



In this connection the pupil may be asked 



to note all the flowers in season in each month, 

 and compare the lists. Such lists kept each 

 year show whether any season is backward 

 or forward, and lists made in different counties 

 show the range of variation owing to latitude, 

 temperature, &c. 



Insects and Meadow Plants. As has been 

 pointed out, the meadow is the home, as it 

 were, of insect life, and this has a great sig- 

 nificance, for by the agency of insects the plants 

 of the meadows are better able to cope with the 

 adverse conditions of existence. For without 

 the advantage of cross-pollination the seeds 

 are not so likely to be fertile. 



The brilliance of the meadow flowers and 

 the number of flowers of the same kind make 

 the meadow especially suited to insect life. It 

 is an interesting and engaging occupation to 

 watch the wanderings of any particular insect 

 from one flower to the next, and by practice 

 and study the exact name of the individual 

 insects may be learnt. The experiments of 

 Lord Avebury may be repeated for every type 

 of insect and a study made as to which colours 

 most attract each insect; whether insects fly 

 from plants having a certain coloured flower 

 to flowers of a different colour, and the order 

 of these ; and the preference for any particular 

 colour may be noted. 



The absence of night-flowering plants and 

 nocturnal butterflies or moths (which are more 

 often found in woods) may be noticed. 



Dispersal of Fruits and Seeds of Meadow 

 Plants. The points first noted, the expansive- 

 ness and openness of the meadows, will here 

 again, as in the last section, be shown to have 

 great significance in the life of the meadow 

 plants when the question of fruit and seed 

 dispersal is considered. 



Amongst meadow plants there are few, ex- 

 cept some of the large Umbelliferae, and such 

 Composites as Burdock, that have large seeds 

 or fruits. The hedgerow and woodland plants 

 include many that are edible, and devoured by 

 animals, especially birds, and these are heavy, 

 e.g. Acorn ; these are external agents. 



But the two main external agents amongst 

 meadow plants are the wind and animals, and 

 in the latter case the seeds are not eaten, but 

 catch in the wool or fur of passing animals. 

 Thus the fruits of the Burdock have long hooks 

 which catch in the wool of sheep. 



Wind, however, plays the greatest part in 

 the dispersal of seeds of meadow plants ; for 

 as a whole the seeds are small, and are thus 

 easily blown away either directly or by some 

 special device adapted to wind dispersal. All 

 the grasses are dispersed in this way, as in- 

 deed they are pollinated also, viz. by the wind. 



Great Burnet pollinated by the wind has its 



