110 Thames Reeds and Lilies 



than if all three shades were mingled on a single 

 stem. 



As midsummer draws over and the time of the 

 irises is done, the plumes of the meadowsweet rise 

 pale and heavy-scented among the undergrowth 

 on every stream. With the meadowsweet comes 

 the tall pink valerian, and here and there on the 

 river brink and the banks of the eyots the stalwart 

 yellow rue. The large heads of feathery blossom 

 borne by all three plants are typical of the Thames 

 banks in July. As the dog-days darken the foliage 

 of wood and meadow, the long, green lines of reeds 

 and sedges by the water-side give morning by morn- 

 ing a cooler refreshment to the eye. Now the heats of 

 summer draw forth a fuller vegetation from the river- 

 channels than answered the suns of June. The 

 water-dock unfurls from midsummer onwards its 

 high, green banners above the calmer shallows ; 

 and the leaves of this great plant give an aspect of 

 almost tropical rankness, such as is not to be seen 

 upon dry land, to the vegetation of the stiller pools 

 and backwaters. 



The height of the river's flowering-time is reached 

 in the July days when the hay is carried from the 

 bordering meadows and the sallow bareness of their 

 stubbles frames, in the sharpest contrast, the beds 

 of flowering water-lilies. First comes the smaller 

 yellow lily, with is poppy-like seed capsule and 

 smell of anise. It is not only more widely diffused 

 than the white lilies, but has a considerably longer 

 flowering-time. It heralds the white lilies before 

 midsummer, and lingers on the August waters 



