WILD FLOWERS WHITE AND GREENISH 



the manner of the powdered Colonial dames of old, 

 fascinates us with her incomparable grace and loveli- 

 ness as she executes a proud courtsey to each passing 

 breeze. The general description of the stalk, leaves 

 and blossoms of her golden flowered sister, the Yel- 

 low Fringed Orchis, applies very generally to the above 

 species. The present Orchid, however, is inclined to 

 be more delicate and somewhat smaller in all parts. 

 It is also rather more common, and the soft, feathery 

 flowers blossom a few days earlier where the two bloom 

 side by side, as they very frequently do. The White 

 Fringed Orchis blossoms during July and August, in 

 bogs and swamps, from Newfoundland to Minnesota, 

 and south to Florida and Mississippi. 



NODDING LADIES' TRESSES 



Spirdnthes cernua. Orchid Family. 



Throughout the glorious autumn, when the summer 

 verdure gradually assumes the most beautiful variations 

 of yellow, scarlet, and brown, and after most of our 

 wild flowers have ceased their floral activities, this 

 latest blooming Orchid, like the lovely Blue Gentian, 

 suddenly realizes its sense of duty and blossoms as 

 gaily as though the birds were just returning with the 

 spring. It is also one of the very commonest of its 

 family. It grows from six inches to two feet in height, 

 in wet meadows and grassy swamps. Several long, 

 narrow, lance-shaped leaves spring from the base of 

 the stalk, but usually disappear before the flowering 

 season. Those on the upper stalk are much reduced 



215 



