LILY FAMILY 105 



woods. Over a wide range extending from 

 Canada to Georgia and west beyond the Missis- 

 sippi they may be found in bloom about the 

 middle of the spring season. In the latitude of 

 southern New England the height of the flowering 

 season comes early in May. 



The structure of the plant in all three species 

 is delicate: the stems are slender, swaying with 

 the slightest breeze ; the oval leaves are thin and 

 semi-transparent, bending of their own weight; 

 the flowers droop modestly on fragile stalks, their 

 light yellow tints scarcely serving to render them 

 conspicuous to human eyes, although they are 

 readily found by bumble-bees, which visit them 

 freely. Few plants of similar size are so likely 

 as these to be overlooked by the careless stroller 

 in the May woods. On account of their fragile 

 structure they wilt quickly when picked, another 

 reason why they are not more generally known. 

 But as types of gentle modesty the Bellworts add a 

 peculiar charm to the spring woodlands, serving 

 admirably as a foil to the somewhat flaunting 

 beauty of the Painted Trilliums and other more 

 venturesome plants. 



LILIES. July is the month of the lilies the 

 glorious flowers which so long have served as 

 types of grace, purity and beauty. In all of these 

 the structure is simple, yet there is a decided dif- 

 ference in the appearance of ihe various sorts. If 



