3 1 8 ] The Fascination of Flowers 



ground are white to start with because no pigment has been 

 developed. When they are exposed to light, many of these flowers 

 take on various hues, among them blue, red, or yellow. 



HEPATICAS CLOSE FOR THE NIGHT 



One of the earliest flowers of spring, the hepatica must be 

 hunted among the decaying foliage of the previous fall. As its 

 blossoms grow they rise about three inches above the brownish 

 leaves of the year before, and the new leaves may appear very 

 soon after. The petal-like sepals are white, pink, or bluish- 

 lavender. Young blossoms close during the night and on dark 

 days; older ones remain open all the time. 



You are most likely to find the wood anemone, a member of 

 the same family as the hepatica, along the borders of woodlands. 

 The anemone is an inch or more taller than the hepatica; its 

 flowers are white or delicate purple. 



ADDER'S TONGUES ARE LILIES 



Yellow adder's tongue favors moist woods and brook sides, 

 though it sometimes grows in open fields in the East. White 

 adder's tongue is common in the West and South. The small bell- 

 shaped flowers appear in early spring, but the leaves, pale green 

 mottled with brownish purple, are found carpeting large irregular 

 areas long after the blossoms have gone. The yellow adder's 

 tongue, though a member of the lily family, is often called "dog- 

 tooth violet." 



VIOLETS Nor ALWAYS SHY 



In the true violet family there is a "dog" violet found 

 especially in the sandy soils of the Northwest. This is a low, 

 creeping species with light purple flowers. Fairly widespread also 

 is the downy yellow violet which blooms almost anywhere in low 

 ground. It is tall in comparison to most violetssometimes as 

 high as seventeen inches. 



As for the common violet, you may find it almost anywhere in 

 low ground. As a rule, the deep green heart-shaped leaves usually 

 grow a little taller than the flowers. In marshes, however, the 



