ACCORDING TO SEASON 



Yellow 

 violets 



Common 

 blue violet 



soft background of delicate foliage, are associated 

 with the pale young leaves, just beginning to ex- 

 pand, of neighboring maples and birches. 



To this period belongs the downy yellow violet, 

 a flower which seems almost a part of the sunshine 

 that filters plentifully into the depths of the thick- 

 est woods these May days. Yet I doubt if the 

 downy yellow is the first of its tribe to blossom. 

 The flowers of the round-leaved violet, another 

 yellow species, are among the early arrivals, and I 

 suspect that they antedate their congeners. The 

 books assign both alike to " April-May." But I 

 have found the flowers of the round-leaved fading 

 while those of the downy were still erect and 

 fresh. 



The round-leaved is something of a recluse. It 

 likes to withdraw itself to unfrequented woods. 

 In its leaves lie its greatest individuality. These 

 heart-shaped leaves are not especially conspicuous 

 when the plant is in flower. But later in the year 

 they broaden by two or three inches, lying flat on 

 the ground, and presenting a shining surface 

 which readily attracts the eye. 



The two yellow species are followed closely by 

 the common blue violet. In the manner of its 

 growth, the shape of its leaves, and the color of 

 its flowers, this little plant shows a tendency to 

 whims. It might readily be taken for half a dozen 



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