186 WOODLAND IDYLS. 



This avens was the only new acquaintance I 

 made among the plants to-day. Just now, how- 

 ever, there is a dearth of flowers. The wild 

 roses are past their prime, and too soon is it 

 for the jewel-weeds and the bell-flower, though 

 single specimens of both were seen in blossom. 

 An interim it is between the flowers of mid- 

 summer and those of early autumn; an almost 

 flowerless gap of a fortnight or more. The yar- 

 row, the wild carrot, the poison hemlock, the 

 prunella or heal-all, which takes no rest in blos- 

 soming from May unto October, the milkweeds 

 and Indian hemp, a few speedwells and ver- 

 vains make up the .list we have seen to-day. 

 The lobelias and cardinal flower, the ironweeds, 

 jo-pye-weed, sunflowers, darkey-heads, early 

 golden-rods, marigolds and sneezeweeds, which 

 will furnish the brilliant hues of the first weeks 

 of August, are all, as yet, lacking and poverty 

 marks the floral offerings of these July days. 



Another barren interval there is in the last 

 ten days of May, but not so marked as that of 

 now. The harbingers of spring, the red maple, 

 snow trillium, skunk cabbage, liverworts, whit- 

 low grass, pepper and salt, spring beauty, etc., 

 have then long been gone. These are closely 

 followed by the second offering of spring, which 

 is much more generous, including such well 

 known forms as the marsh marigold, celandine 

 poppy, blue violet, adder's tongue, the trilliums, 



