FLOWERS OF HIGH ALTITUDES 77 



posed, the part next the brown earth swelling out 

 for a good base. The lower part may remain 

 whitish or pale red; but from a few inches above 

 the ground, it grows more vivid each day. As the 

 bracts deepen in color, they loosen their tight hold 

 on the fleshy stem, and from between them rise sym- 

 metrical bells one after another around the stem 

 until they reach the summit. The fleshiness of the 

 structure keeps it from wilting, so that when the 

 topmost bells are ringing the lowest ones are still 

 fresh. Then the Snow Plant is truly beautiful. The 

 individuals vary in the intensity of their red, but 

 they all have a sort of scintillation, as if diamond 

 dust had been mixed in their structure. Never, 

 never, pick one until it hangs out its bells to its 

 very apex, and then you will be rewarded for your 

 self-control. Because the ruthless or the heedless 

 gather the immature plant, leaving no opportunity 

 for seed-making, the Federal Government has im- 

 posed a fine of twenty-five dollars for picking a 

 Snow Plant in the National Parks. 



If the Snow Plant is left alone, it can propagate 

 its kind successfully. Its bells are constructed to 

 make insects work for its purpose when once they 

 enter them. And there is no doubt they will come, 

 with the bright glow and the luster catching every 

 ray of sunshine that dips under the trees and reflect- 

 ing it into the eye of each passing winged creature. 



