6 Bog-Trotting for OrcHids 



times before — by its resemblance to the foliage of the 

 Showy Lady's Slipper, The leaves of both these plants 

 are plicate, and have ever been confused even by the 

 earliest herbalists. Unrolling a spike of leaves one 

 day, I found I had actually disturbed the buds of the 

 queen of the Lady's Slippers instead of the Hellebore, 

 although they proved to be blasted. No doubt some 

 warm day had started them prematurely, frost and 

 cold rains later proving their ruin. 



Here on a sheltered damp hillside, I found my first 

 clusters of the season of the Pink Azalea {Azalea 

 nudifiord), which is commonly known hereabout as 

 Swamp-Apple, and which is very similar to Rhodora 

 Canadensis. These species belong to the Heath Family, 

 one of the largest among the flora of Hoosac Valley. 

 The beautiful pink flowers of the Great Rhododendron, 

 which measure from one to two inches in diameter, 

 render it the most charming species of this group. It 

 is cultivated extensively, but grows in its natural wild 

 state, in this region, only along the margins of ponds 

 near Montpelier and Wells River, in Vermont. 



The American Mountain Laurel {Kalmia), which be- 

 comes so gorgeous later in the season, the Lambkill, 

 Labrador Tea, Andromeda and the Cassandra are 

 closel)'^ allied species of this group, common to this 

 region. Other familiar members of it are the Trailing 

 Arbutus, Gaultheria, and the Creeping Snowberry. 

 They may be found in Aurora's Swamp. 



North Adams is not far from the sources of the south 

 and north branches of the Hoosac River, in a wild and 



