WOODLAND FLOWERS OF THE PRAIRIE REGION 



715 



in their sympathy. If, on the other hand, wood- 

 land is to be conserved for its products, pasturing is 

 detrimental to development or growth. Forestry has 

 been practiced little or none in many of the states 

 until recently. Preservation of wooded tracts is essen- 

 tial for many reasons. One of the first is that people may 

 have some objective in country travel; a place to enjoy 

 meals out of doors, get acquainted with the wild flowers 

 and give the children a taste o# those things of which they 

 get far too little in this region. 



The spring flowers are abundant and beautiful. The 

 most conspicuous are : Collinsia verna, Anemone quin- 



WILD SWEET WILLIAM 



This bit of unpastured woodland is now gay with wild phlox 

 and May apples. 



quefolia, Claytonia virginiana, Mertensia virginica, 

 Phlox divaricata, Trilliums, Violets, Erythronium, Den- 

 taria, Sanguinaria, May apple, Dutchman's Breeches and 

 Squirrel corn. During the summer, woods with under- 

 brush are not attractive, but with the coming of autumn 

 there is a decided change. The foliage becomes more 

 scanty and is taking on color, the fall flowers, mostly 

 Compositae, appear in sunny spots, woodland borders 

 and the flood plains. The dominant ones are Joe Pye, 

 Boneset, Sneeze weed. Sunflowers, Vervain, Veronicas 



THE DAINTY ANEMONE 



This is a bit of lovely woodland, as yet unspoiled by pas- 

 turing:. The pure white star flowers are sometimes tinged 

 with blue. 



and Anemone canadensis. Occasionally you find colonies 

 of the Mist flower (Eupatorium celestinum) ; it is attrac- 

 tive and suitable for garden use. We can hardly omit 

 those two important shrubs, the prairie crabapple 



BLUE BELLS, OR MERTENSIA 



This large colony of woods favorites developed in a clearing 

 where the woods were cut the previous year. An early 

 spring flower of the Middle West. 



