26 AS CALIFORNIA FLOWERS GROW 



A flower that bees and butterflies and human be- 

 ings all seem to admire alike is the Mariposa. We 

 delight in its exquisite hues and beautiful shape. 

 The insects are attracted by the color, and they find 

 the simple cup an easy vessel from which to sip 

 their sought-for breakfast. The Mariposa is most 

 generous in her hospitality. Not only does she tint 

 her cup rose or yellow or lilac, but she adds great 

 splotches of maroon or brown or yellow, or perhaps 

 bands of gold, or both splotches and bands in one 

 blossom, with dots added for extra measure. All 

 this decoration is developed just to indicate to the 

 visitor where her honey lies. She does not set the 

 feast out simply in open plates. She has learned 

 that visitors like variety. So she digs little pits for 

 her nectar; and, to add a touch of that mystery 

 which quickens the desires of all individuals, she 

 covers them closely with a curtain of thick hairs. If 

 you think that the insects do not respond to this 

 enticement, just count the number of kinds you see 

 enter a Mariposa any sunny day. Of course, as they 

 push aside the curtain, they are dusted with the 

 pollen from the six upright stamens. This they 

 carry to the next flower, and so Madame Mariposa 

 is rewarded for her munificence. 



As you see, the Mariposa's parts are in threes, 

 three sepals, three petals, six stamens, and a three- 



