FIGWORT FAMILY 201 



bees. These busy creatures have long since 

 learned the secret of opening the door that is so 

 fast closed to most other insects. The worker 

 bumble-bees are the only sort abundant late in 

 summer, and the size of these blossoms is perfectly 

 adapted to their visits. If you open the flowers 

 you can see how the bees are dusted with pollen. 



This plant spreads by means of short root- 

 stocks which run out in all directions and take 

 complete possession of the soil. 



MULLEIN. I presume the plebeian Mullein is 

 not often considered a beautiful plant. Yet there 

 is a certain decorative value to it that we should 

 miss did we not find it here and there in pasture 

 and field. The great woolly leaves with their 

 velvety surfaces and rounded margins seem to 

 belong to the irregular surface of the stem, while 

 the long head of inconspicuous blossoms and 

 ripening fruits also carry out the idea of a plant 

 that asks only to be let alone, except by the flying 

 insects that come to pollinate it. It is not a plant 

 that we gather to bring indoors as w r e do the 

 Goldenrods, but it nevertheless serves a purpose 

 in adorning the landscape. 



MOTH MULLEIN. The Moth Mullein is an- 

 other abundant and widely distributed plant 

 which is worth a little attention from the nature 

 student. The beautiful waxy white or yellowish 

 petals have five stamens projecting from between 



