VI. 

 THE SUMMER FLOWERS. 



HE procession of summer flowers be- 

 gins to form the latter part of May, 

 and by the second week of June is 

 well started on its march. A late or an early 

 spring, a dry or a wet May, makes little differ- 

 ence with the state of vegetation on the first of 

 the summer months. By that time the equilib- 

 rium is always reached, and Nature's balance- 

 wheel is found revolving at its accustomed pace. 

 Not until the advent of summer do the brilliant 

 large flowers appear ; the spring flora is smaller, 

 more delicate, and generally more ephemeral. 

 You must stoop down for the spring flowers ; the 

 summer flowers reach up to you. The procession 

 formed in May and augmented in June moves 

 steadily through July, when wild lilies blaze and 

 tall Habenarias lift their purple spires ; it moves 



