GOLDEN PEA; PRAIRIE BEAN 



Thermopsis rhombifolia (Nutt.) Richards 

 PEA FAMILY 



The early flowers are especially welcome and are eagerly 

 looked for. It is an event of the year to find the first anemone, 

 the well-known " crocus" of the prairie. Following this pioneer 

 come the sweet coltsfoot, a dwarf buttercup, a tiny, leafy-stemmed 

 violet, and, showiest of all, this splendid Golden Pea. It perfumes 

 and brightens many a hillside and bit of prairie, always showing 

 a preference for sandy soil. 



When the stalk emerges from the ground it wears a gray coat 

 of silky hairs. Its tip is bent over and sheltered by large stipules 

 (those leaf-like appendages at the base of each leaf -stalk), as if 

 the plant hid its face between huge ear tabs from the sudden 

 exposure to wind and sunshine. As the stem grows, the three- 

 parted leaves push out from this protection, but for a time the 

 leaflets remain folded along their mid-ribs, only gradually opening 

 out and assuming the horizontal position. The flower buds are 

 soon revealed, and rapidly develop into large, bright yellow, pea- 

 shaped blossoms, followed a few weeks later by sickle-shaped pods. 



It is interesting to observe the various and ingenious devices 

 used by plants to ensure the safety of the tender young shoots 

 and leaves during the great change from the snug cradle of the 

 bud to the full exposure of maturity. The transition is usually 

 made without injury. Many people believe that while man- 

 made gardens are often caught by late frosts and storms, the wild 

 plants have a sure instinct that leads them to defer growth until 

 the weather is safe. But this is not wholly correct, "for only 

 those who have studied nature but very little will maintain that 

 she never errs."* The Golden Peas growing on a sunny slope 

 near the house of the writer have been badly frozen three years 

 out of six, while those near by, but on the north side of a coppice, 

 have escaped all injury. These are no wiser than their brothers 

 on the hillside, but the brush held the snow and frost and so de- 

 layed their start. 



'Maeterlinck. 



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