478 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



KVIDENCE OF A TRAGEDY 



Fig. 14. That strange-looking little thing up 

 on the leaf there is a poor little Saddle-back 

 caterpillar, killed by a parasite a story you 

 will hear some day. There is no missing this 

 Bitter-sweet Bush, for you can see its beauti- 

 ful deep coral red berries at some distance 

 away. 



generally believed that all plants 

 and flowers had some mark upon 

 them to show what they were good 

 for, and what they would do for 

 sick or injured people. The rattle- 

 snake-weed (Fig. 11) was one of 

 these, and the "herbists" or old herlj 

 doctors, believed that since its cu- 

 riously marked leaves looked like a 

 snake's back, it was surely created 

 to cure snake-bite particularly 

 rattlesnake bite. Did you ever 

 hear of anything so stupid? 



Evening Primrose (Fig. 12) 

 you will find all the way from 

 June to October in the dry fields 

 and thickets especially in the 

 fence-corners and along the dusty 

 roadsides, where so many other in- 

 teresting flowers aiid plants are to 

 be found. 



The moth you see on these 

 Burdock-burrs is the I-O, so called 

 for the reason that either of its 

 hinder wings, which are buffish- 

 yellow like the fore pair, have a 

 round, black O on them, with a 

 purple bar to the inner side of it, 



the whole bearing a fancied 

 resemblance to the capital 

 letters I O (Fig. 13). The 

 leaves of the Burdock are 

 among the largest you will 

 find scout where you may. 

 No hor.se or cow will eat 

 these because they are so 

 very bitter and rank, and you 

 know how common they are 

 in many of our fields. Their 

 burrs contain the seeds, and 

 it is easy to see how people 

 and cattle often carry them 

 long distances by these very 

 burrs, sticking fast to cloth- 

 ing or to the hair of the farm 

 animals. There are all kinds 

 of ways in which seeds of 

 l)lants are spread over the 

 world, so that the plants 

 from which they come spring 

 up in the most unexpected 

 j)laces. 



The Bittersweet (Fig. 

 14) is not an easy plant to 

 get a photograph of, for the 



OLD MAN'S BEARD 



Fig, 15. In a little while after this month has 

 passed you will see the Virginia Clematis gone to 

 seed, and looking like it does here. Boys and girls 

 call it "Old Man's Beard." At the same time the 

 Horse Nettle is sporting its big, round, yellow balls, 

 as you see them below. 



THESE NOT HARD TO FIND 



Fig. 16. These elegant flowers, of a brilliant 

 purple color, are Starworts or New England 

 Asters, The plant begins flowering in August, 

 and you cannot very well miss it, for it not 

 only grows in swamps and fields, but all along 

 the r(adside where you start out for your walk. 



beautiful, deep reddish orange 

 berry-like fruit easily tumble out 

 on the way home ; then the empty 

 cajjsules all look like the lower- 

 most one in the picture. The 

 leaves are very dark, but you will 

 also find variegated ones, and others 

 almost white. When this is the case 

 take pains to study the stems close- 

 ly ; you will find mo.st curious little 

 "tree-hoppers" there in crowds, with 

 their heads all pointing one way. 

 They weaken the plant terribly, so 

 that sometimes it has no seeds even. 

 Virginia Clematis or Virgin's 

 bower (Fig. 15) is usually found 

 growing in very rich earth near 

 something upon which it may read- 

 ily climb, as an old fence or wall, 

 or over other vines, and on way- 

 side thickets. It is a most interest- 

 ing plant for you to study ; and 

 Darwin, the great British naturalist 

 and philosopher, frequently used it 

 in his experiments, when working 

 out the wonderful climbing power 

 of some vines. The Clematis hooks 



