LION'S FOOT, THE JEWEL WEEDS, AND OTHER AUTUMN PLANTS 



605 



the hawkweeds, but all of these bloom much earlier in 

 the season. 



In our northeastern sections we have another very 

 beautiful genus of flowers in the Touch-me-not family, 

 well known as the American Balsams. (Figs. 3 and 4.) 

 They may still be found in bloom in the early days of 

 October, the plant growing in masses in swampy, wet 

 places along the shady banks of small streams and rills. 

 Their seed-pods burst upon the slightest touch hence one 

 of their common names, while the plant will begin to 

 wilt and droop the moment after it is plucked. This 

 renders it extremely dif- 

 ficult to photograph, and 

 the specimens here figured 

 were only obtained after 

 many trials. The best way 

 is to get a plant, as perfect 

 a one as possible, early in 

 the morning of a gray day, 

 and transport it, roots and 

 all, to the place where the 

 photograph is to be taken. 

 Even with these precautions 

 failure is sometimes the 

 only reward. However, it 

 is well worth the effort, and 

 through it we have the two 

 species shown here in all 

 their glory. 



In some regions where 

 our Ruby-throated Hum- 

 mingbirds may still be 

 found in abundance, we 

 will see many of them at a 

 time paying their respects 

 to these beautiful flowers, 

 where the plants grow in 

 masses, and where few peo- 

 ple visit to frighten them 

 away. You may be sure 

 that these winged jewels of 

 the air are chiefly responsi- 

 ble for the perpetuation of 

 these species of balsams, 

 although insects of several 

 kinds also do their part. 



These little ruddy "horns- 

 of-plenty" have been liken- 

 ed to a certain style of 

 ladies' ear-rings ; hence the 

 name Jewel-weed ; on the 

 other hand, owing to the leaves not shedding the rain, 

 but collecting it in glistening drops upon their serrated 

 margins, this may likewise be responsible for the ap- 

 pellation. To note this, we have but to dip a freshly 

 plucked leaf in water, and the point in question will be 

 demonstrated; for upon being lifted out, it will appear 

 almost as though silvered or thinly coated with quick- 

 silver. There is a sort of hair-trigger arrangement at 



OAK GALLS, OR "OAK APPLES," PRESENT MANY UNUSUAL 

 SHAPES. HERE ARE THREE ON THE LEAVES AND TWIGS OF 

 A LIVE OAK; THEY ARE WONDERFULLY SYMMETRICAL IN 

 FORM AND OF RATHER LARGE SIZE. 



Fig. 5 These adnormal growths are due to the entrance of the larvae 

 of certain insects into the suhstance_ of the leaf or twig, the gall 



forming at the 

 of tannin. 



the extremity of the seed-pod of the Jewel-weed which 

 we have but to lightly touch in the ripened structure to 

 have it pop suddenly open, and the seeds are tossed 

 about, not a few of them landing several feet away. It 

 is thus that the plant is spread over the area where it 

 thrives. But this method does not ensure great rapidity 

 of extension, perhaps only a few feet each season. As 

 a matter of fact, when one comes to think of it, we 

 usually meet with Jewel-weed growing in restricted 

 masses, only rarely covering extended areas, as in the 

 case of borders of little-frequented ponds in secluded 



woods, or in marshes sel- 

 dom penetrated by man. In 

 such localities the plants 

 may, in years, come to 

 fringe the water's edge all 

 about ; but the progress is 

 very slow. As may be 

 readily appreciated, birds 

 have but little or nothing 

 to do with disseminating 

 the seeds of the Touch-me- 

 nots, probably only a small 

 swamp warbler would ever 

 see them, and they are not 

 seed eaters. In the last 

 issue of American Fores- 

 try' an account is given of 

 the plant called Dodder ; it 

 is an interesting fact that 

 the jewel-weeds are espe- 

 cial sufferers from its para- 

 sitic propensities. We still 

 have a great deal to learn 

 about these interesting bal- 

 sams, but such researches 

 will now remain at a stand- 

 still, more or less, until the 

 war comes to an end. 



Alice Lounsberry, in her 

 "Guide to the Wild Flow- 

 ers," devotes fully half a 

 page to Impatiens biflora, 

 the species of Jewel-weed 

 just considered ; but we 

 should read that account 

 with a certain amount of 

 caution. She states that 

 the flowers are arranged in 

 clusters instead of in pairs, 

 as the name indicates. She 

 further says that the plant grows by "bright running 

 streams;" that at all times its leaves are hung with dew- 

 drops ; that the flowers are dependent upon insects for 

 fertilization. Finally, she says that when the seed-pods 

 burst, the seed are thrown "to a considerable distance." 

 Surely not a very safe guide to the study of our wild 

 flowers too many slips in one paragraph. 



The pale yellow Jewel-weed, with its big yellow flowers, 



point of the wound; they often yield over 75 per cent 



