NATURE'S CALENDAR 



" First, in the sombre, leafless woods, 

 come the various dusky wings, brown 

 and black, tripping softly in and out 

 among the gray rocks and over the dry 

 fields and dark pools of melting snow, or 

 sunning themselves on dry sticks athwart 

 the sun. Hard upon these, in the time 

 of early violets and hepaticas, and fre- 

 quenting the spots loved by them, follow 

 the little blue butterflies scarce larger 

 than the flowers. Then, as spring fairly 

 bursts upon us with its fresh and varied 

 hues, come crowds of queenly swallow- 

 tails, lustrous with metallic gleam, or 

 striped and belted with gay colors, and 

 the banded and spotted purples that 

 court the quiet forest road and the brink 

 of the mountain brook ; the soft, white 

 butterflies, that look too pure for earth, 

 less retiring than the last, float about our 

 gardens, alas! on sad intent, while the 

 brisk little tawny and black skippers 

 everywhere bustle and whisk about, 



" Summer, with blazingsun and diversi- 

 fied blossoms, brings us the hot-looking 

 coppers, and all that dappled band of fri- 

 tillaries and angle wings, blocked in red 

 and black above, and often variegated by 

 odd dashes and spots of burnished silver, 

 or by peacock eyes beneath. How they 

 crowd about the thistle, spreading thistle 

 blossoms, or on the many-flowered um- 

 bels of the milkweed, and fan themselves 

 with content at their sweet lot !" 



The roadsides are yellow with mullein 



