April and Early May 



mottled, pointed leaves, are drooping 

 the lily-like bells of the adder's tongue. 

 Distinctly a rock - loving plant is the 

 Dutchman's breeches, or, more happily 

 named, whitehearts. Sharing some se- 

 cluded shelf with the evergreen fronds of 

 the polypodium, it enchants us with its 

 delicate foliage, and wands of creamy 

 heart-shaped blossoms. Another rock- 

 frequenting plant, as its title indicates, 

 is the early saxifrage, whose firm, flattish 

 clusters of white flowers, borne at or 

 near the summit of leafless stems, though 

 without the fragile charm of their com- 

 panions, please us by their wholesome, 

 hearty aspect, and by the impulsive 

 fashion in which they burst from the 

 most unpromising of crannies. Then, 

 too, the saxifrage has a certain finish of 

 its own, one cluster being sufficient unto 

 itself, while, to be appreciated, so many 

 plants need to be seen in the mass ; to 

 say nothing of its readiness to be up- 



27 



