From Blue to Purple 



Distribution — Newfoundland far westward, south to Colorado, 

 eastward to Missouri and Pennsylvania, also northern parts 

 of Old World. 



Mischievous bumblebees, thrusting their long tongues be- 

 tween the sepals and petals of these unopened flowers, steal nec- 

 tar without conferring any favor in return. Later, when they 

 behave properly and put their heads inside to feast at the disk on 

 which the stamens are inserted, they dutifully carry pollen from 

 old flowers to the early maturing stigmas of younger ones. Sell- 

 fertilization must occur, however, if the bees have not removed 

 all the pollen when a blossom closes. When the purple avens 

 opens in Europe, the bees desert even the primrose to feast upon 

 its abundant nectar. Since water is the prime necessity in the 

 manufacture of this sweet, and since insects that feed upon it have- 

 so much to do with the multiplication of flowers, it is not surpris- 

 ing that the swamp, which has been called " nature's sanctuary," 

 should have its altars so exquisitely decked. This blossom hangs 

 its head, partly to protect its precious nectar from rain, and partly 

 to make pilfering well-nigh impossible to the unwelcome crawling 

 insect that may have braved the forbidding hairy stems. 



Wild Lupine; Old Maid's Bonnets ; Wild Pea; 

 gun Dial 



{Lupinus perennis) Pea family 



Flowers — Vivid blue, very rarely pink or white, butterfly-shaped ; 



corolla consisting of standard, wings, and keel; about % in. 



long, borne in a long raceme at end of stem ; calyx 2-lipped, 



deeply toothed. Stem : Erect, branching, leafy, i to 2 ft. 



high. Leaves: Palmate, compounded of from 7 to 1 1 (usually 



8) leaflets. Fruit : A broad, flat, very hairy pod, i,'j in. long, 



and containing 4 or 5 seeds. 

 Preferred Habitat — Dry, sandy places, banks, and hillsides. 

 Flowering Season — May — June. 

 Distribution — -United States east of Mississippi, and eastern 



Canada. 



Farmers once thought that this plant preyed upon the fertility 

 of their soil, as we see in the derivation of its name, from lupus. 

 a wolf; whereas the lupine contents itself with sterile waste land 

 no one should grudge it — steep gravelly banks, railroad tracks, 

 exposed sunny hills, where even it must often burn out under 

 fierce sunshine did not its root penetrate to surprising depths. It 

 spreads far and wide in thrifty colonies, reflecting the vivid color 

 of June skies, until, as Thoreau says, "the earth is blued with it." 



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