30 MYSTERIES OF THE FLOWERS 



in July pretty clusters of greenish white blossoms, 

 and, in October, strange seed-vessels like transpar- 

 ent chestnut burrs. No matter how the vine climbs 

 and twists and disports itself, the flower spires are 



seen to stand ver- 

 tically, with one, 

 or at most a very 

 few, hanging 

 down below the 

 vine, at the point whence 

 the vertical flower - stalk 

 The upper and numerous 

 flowers are pollen bearers, the lower 

 ones seed-makers. We can under- 

 stand the logic of the arrangement, knowing the 

 habits of the bee. As he works from below, up- 

 ward, he alights first upon the pistillate flowers, 

 then climbs the floral spire, gathering pollen as he 

 goes, to take it down to the pistillate flowers on the 

 next group — and so on with drops and climbs till 

 he has disarranged the pollen along the whole gar- 

 land of the vine. 



sprmgs. 



WILD BALSAM 

 APPLE 



Arrowhead — Sagittaria 



This decorative flower which beautifies the mar- 

 gins of our ponds with its Avhite flowers from July 

 to September, presents twelve distinct species. 



