A BEES' GARDEN. 



The bee loves the blue flowers, though 

 blue in this case includes the bluish- 

 purple that is so frequently found among 

 the flowers of spring. He likes also flow- 

 ers of other colors, but there is a certain 

 shape that is beyond doubt his favorite, 

 for it comes by a gradual adaptation to 

 the bee's needs. Oddly enough, it is 

 called "butterfly-shaped" (paplionaceous) 

 because it looks so like the winged but- 

 terfly just about to take flight. The 

 broad upper petal is to attract the bee ; 

 the two curved petals that are welded 

 together hold the pollen and nectar and 

 the two opening petals at the side are to 

 support the bee's weight comfortably. As 

 he presses upon the bloom he is just 

 heavy enough to cause the treasure-box 

 to open, and when he flies off, it closes 

 again. Such blossoms belong to the pea 

 family. They are airy, swinging, grace- 

 ful blossoms that look all alive and alert. 



One of the earliest of the blue or pur- 

 ple vetches — another name for many of 

 the pea family, is the pretty little strangle- 

 tare, a small blossom that blooms in 

 the first spring days. It is so called be- 

 cause of the single tendril coiled at the 

 ends of the leaves, like a fairy lassoo. It 

 is a pinkish purple, and looks like a wild 

 sweet pea that has fallen in the grass. 

 The blue vetch, a larger flower, shows 

 like the lupine, the summer heaven's own 

 color, and glorifies the rough fields and 

 sides of ditches with its profuse blossom- 

 ing. It too has a folk-name of evil mean- 

 ing — the Devil's shoe-strings, and no one 

 who has ever noticed the pair of tangled, 

 knotted tendrils at its ends could fail to 

 see what wicked words and evil tempers 

 would be roused by such strings ! The 

 goats' rue or hoary pea is a shrubby 

 plant with creamy standard and keel and 

 rose-purple wing^s, wearing a bluish tint 

 as they fade. The stem is covered with 

 fine white silvery hairs that give the air 

 of hoariness to the plant. The Amphi- 



carpaea is a beautiful vine, blooming in 

 late summer with rich violet-purple clus- 

 ters climbing on the tall golden compo- 

 sitae along the banks of streams or shad- 

 ow T y lanes. Low down near the roots 

 bloom unnoticed certain plain little blos- 

 soms that bear abundant seed. These 

 blind or unopened flowers look like ar- 

 rested buds, and are known by a Latin 

 name that means a secret marriage. The 

 violets in the same way bear hidden blos- 

 soms among their roots to secure seed if 

 the fragrant blossoms fail, and so the 

 hidden flowers of the Amphicarpaea — 

 which means "seed at both ends" — stand 

 ready if the royally splendid flowers of 

 the top that wave their signals in the 

 upper sunshine, should by any chance 

 be without seed. I have spoken of the 

 standard of the pea blossom as a signal 

 flag for the wandering bees. The flow- 

 ers that show this use of the upper petal 

 most strikingly are those of the lovely 

 blue butterfly pea with their large stand- 

 ards, and also those of the curious Am- 

 opha that has but this one petal for call- 

 ing the rover to its feast! 



The bee's flowers of the midsummer or 

 autumn are of rich gold instead of blue. 

 The wild indigo is well known, for it 

 fills our woods with its multitude of 

 trefoil leaves, and small yellow butter- 

 fly blossoms in a swarm at the ends of its 

 branches. The three cassias — the sensi- 

 tive pea, the partridge pea, and wild 

 senna — are not loved by the honey-bees ; 

 but the vagrant bumble-bees seek them, 

 and stroke the dark anthers with their 

 mandibles to secure the pollen. The leaf- 

 lets are sensitive, and droop in sleep un- 

 der the chill of the night air, or fold to- 

 gether when handled or jarred, hanging 

 listless until undisturbed. "Plants move 

 and act less conspicuously, but not less 

 really than animals. Sharing the mys- 

 terious gifts of life, they share also its 

 powers." Ella F. Mosby. 



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