After the Summer 159 



mints in all the air, these, and so many other 

 signs indicate the entrance of autumn. The rich 

 charm of ripening possesses the earth. 



Now the field flowers have their innings, and 

 are doing their work bravely, the autumn colours 

 of purple and gold flaunting along the roadsides, 

 although the purples and blues of the asters have 

 scarcely yet begun to show, the first lone purple 

 aster that has dared to blossom is of no longer 

 date than this week. The lespedeza has fur 

 nished most of that class of colour, and is going 

 by, but the heroic purple of the ironweed and the 

 royal of the vervain abounds, where they choose 

 to grow. 



Moreover, this is the season when the rhexia, 

 one of the most beautiful harmonies of the year, 

 with its rose-pink petals and golden stamens, and 

 red buds, is to be found. Tis a somewhat rare 

 plant, but where it does occur, in moist pastures 

 or mowings, it is abundant and profuse, and gives 

 the spot a refined gayety that draws all eyes. In 

 certain haunts it is as distinctive as the fringed 

 gentian, and like that, bears a certain elegance 

 and delicacy which seem to mark it as one of the 

 aristocracy of flowers ; it is, however, less sensi 

 tive and less capricious. The gentian has now 

 begun to blossom. The clematis, the traveler s 

 joy, makes bowers of the hedge rows and poetry 



