44 Field, Forest, and Wayside Flowers 



droop, and thus save their treasures of pollen and 

 honey from being injured by rain and dew. But 

 the dandelion florets stare straight at the sky, and 

 they come at a very rainy season. If Nature took 

 no preventive measures, the gold and silver tubes 

 would speedily resolve themselves into little water- 

 jars; pollen and honey would be spoiled or washed 

 away altogether, and the insect when he called 

 would get nothing but disappointment. But the 

 little blossoms are so constituted that during rainy 

 weather and at night they close completely, and 

 thus all their treasures are preserved. Before the 

 dew begins to fall the dandelions in the grass 

 seem to vanish. The florets in each yellow head 

 are sleeping, and tucked into bed, too, for a ring 

 of little leaves (botanists call it an involucre) which 

 surrounds the mass of tiny blossoms has bent over 

 so as to enclose and enfold them. 



The dandelions seem to have turned to buds 

 again, and in their green outer covering they are 

 undistinguishable from the surrounding grass and 

 leaves. Their night's rest is a long one. They 

 rarely awaken before seven o'clock, even on a sun- 

 shiny morning, and they close about five in the 

 evening. 



An involucre is present in all the members of 



