ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY MANUAL 1 



shaded the ground. At this time, too, the forest floor has on 

 it few larger leafy plants and hence the smaller spring plants 

 are not submerged by their taller neighbors. Under such con- 

 ditions the vernal plants open their petals and expand their 

 leaves, and many of them ripen their seeds before the taller 

 plants come into leaf. 



There is another group of early flowers, growing where the 

 soil is thinly spread over the rocks, which, because they find 

 that only in spring is there enough water, come up early, flower 

 quickly in spring and spend the dry summer as resting bulbs 

 or dry seeds. In this group are the little draba, the small white 

 forget-me-not, the purple oxalis, and the nodding wild onion. 



SUMMER AND AUTUMN FOREST FLOWERS 



As the expanding leaves of the forest shade its floor, the 

 flowers of the late spring and summer appear. These are plants 

 with broad thin leaves that thrive in the shade. They grow 

 taller, completely carpet the forest floor, and quite conceal the 

 early spring flowers. To this group belong the May apple 

 with its broad umbrella leaves, the baneberry and the blue 

 cohosh, the yellow celandine poppy, the waterleat, the purple 

 wild geranium and the blue Virginia cowslip. Besides, there 

 are the wild parsnip and its many relatives, including the yellow 

 pimpernells, the white sweet cicely, the honeworts and the 

 sanicles. There are also scores oi other broad-leaved shade 

 plants that crowd one another in the cool depth ot the forest. 



At the same time, the ferns expand and claim a portion of 

 the forest's shade. There are the shield and Christmas terns 

 on the hillsides and the spleenworts and delicate maidenhairs ot 

 the deep woods, while in the moister spots the interrupted and 

 cinnamon ferns may be found. 



As the summer advances, another group ot flowers appears. 

 It includes the asters, goldenrods, thoroughworts, white snake- 

 root and wood sunflowers, all of which belong to the great 

 Composite family. About the same time, the tall American 

 bellflower opens its blue blossoms and the yellow flowers ot 

 the false foxgloves appear. During all these months many less 

 common flowers will be found to enrich the seasonal succession 

 of bloom. 



Prairie flowers.— On the grasslands the problem ot light 

 is much different than in the torest. There is no midsummer 



