Wayside Plants of Chautauqua 



is, their normal habitat is elsewhere; in contrast with these 

 are the " left-overs " (ex. May apple) that originally dwelt 

 in the forests which once covered the now treeless fields. 



The common summer " wild flowers " or flowering plants 

 are representatives of a number of large and important fam- 

 ilies. Thus the field buttercup represents the Crowfoot Fam- 

 ily; the self-heal, the Mint Family; the Queen Anne's Lace, 

 the Parsley Family; the white daisy, the Composite Family. 

 The classification of the higher plants into families is based 

 largely upon floral characters, so that the conspicuous summer 

 flowers afford excellent opportunities for a beginning knowl- 

 edge of these great natural groups. 



Suggestions for individual work : 



1. Study a mature burdock plant, and observe how it shades down 

 and crowds out its neighbors with its great leaves, and does not shade 

 itself. 



2. Study the burdock fruit and its adaptation for distribution. 



3. Collect the fruits or seeds of six roadside plants. Example: 

 Spanish needles, milkweed, wild lettuce, golden-rod, cocklebur, rag- 

 weed. How is each disseminated? 



4. Dig up several mature roadside plants and study the root-systems 

 as to texture, penetration, and permanence. 



5. Observe a selected bit of roadside throughout a season: spring, 

 summer or fall. What changes take place in the plant population? 



6. Are there any poisonous plants along the roadways in your region ? 

 How do you recognize them? How jnay they be exterminated? 



