lO WILD I'LOWERS OF COLORADO. 



has disappeared, is the anemone, or wind flower. It brings 

 Easter to me more forcibly than any other flower. No matter 

 how early that holy festival arrives, this little lily-shaped flower is 

 here to welcome it. Observe how delicate are its lavender blos- 

 soms, and how well protected it is from the cold. A substance 

 resembling fur grows up around the blossom. It would seem as 

 though this little fur coat were given it to protect it from the 

 cold. Later you see it leaving its coat behind, and as it gets 

 older and stronger it drops it altogether. After the blossom dis- 

 appears the plant resembles a little family of fur balls. I found 

 this one growing on the prairie some little distance from Colorado 

 Springs. 



Early one morning I started out for a walk, and, as usual, 

 taking my little tin box of colors with me, I walked in the 

 direction of " Manitou," as I could the better have a view of 

 Pike's Peak. It was one of those clear, brifrht mornings when 

 every mountain stood out clear and distinct ; one could see the 

 many parks, and imagine just where lay the lovely clear lakes 

 which have been so much admired by those who have seen them 

 while visiting the Rocky Mountains. 



Without knowing it I had walked a- long distance, so lost in 

 thought and admiration had I been, and, disliking to turn my 

 back on the lovely scenery, I sat down for a little rest, and 

 discovered I was sitting in the midst of these pretty wind-flowers. 

 They came up from the sand like so many little fur heads, with 

 bright lavender eyes that seemed to open wider and wider as I 



