214 Field, Forest, and Wayside Flowers 



shade, they begin to swell. The green calyx 

 splits in four places, disclosing four lines of gold 

 which widen under our eyes. Then, with a start 

 and a jerk, one narrow sepal draws backward, and 

 the yellow corella is revealed. Little thrills go 

 through the bud, like the slight movement of an 

 awakening child. A second sepal draws backward, 

 and then a third, and with an impulse of fully- 

 aroused life the flower bursts its last bond and 

 opens wide, showing its heart of gold. A delicate 

 perfume is shed abroad ; and by this as well as 

 by the gleam of yellow petals the moth is lured 

 to the flower. 



There is a garden evening-primrose which opens 

 in a most impressive manner, with a sudden flare of 

 golden petals, and a slight pop, like that made by 

 withdrawing a small but stubborn cork. But the 

 wild evening-primroses open slowly, with little 

 pauses and delays, as if they were half afraid to 

 venture into the untried life before them. 



Along the Ohio valley and in the alluvial 

 country westward (and in many places further 

 east) the commonest night-flower is the Jamestown 

 or jimson-weed (Datura stramonium) (Fig. 59). The 

 vagabond habits of this dweller in waste ground, 

 its rank, weedy aspect, and the disagreeable smell 



