FLORA'S FIRST OFFERINGS. 



The earliest wood flowers are in 

 bloom. Along the river-bank, half-hid- 

 den among the tangled thicket, the 

 snowy blossoms of the bloodroot glisten, 

 pure and white, and the yellow bells of 

 the dogtooth violet, or adder's tongue, 

 are opening under the magical influence 

 of the sunshine. 



The bloodroot is an interesting plant 

 in many ways. It is a member of the 

 poppy family, and secretes an orange- 

 red juice, which the Indians once used 

 for staining their faces when going on 

 the warpath. The leaf is peculiar, clasp- 

 ing the slender flower scape, from 

 which it slowly uncoils as the plant ma- 

 tures. The two green sepals fall as soon 

 as the flower begins to open, leaving the 

 white petals unsupported. 



Bulbous plants, and those having 

 thick rootstocks, which store up juices 

 through the winter, are the first to blos- 

 som in the spring. The bloodroot petals 

 have a waxy texture, beautifully white, 

 and last only for a day. The first rude 

 wind scatters them to the ground. 



The adder's tongue (dogtooth vio- 

 let) is manifestly misnamed. It is not a 

 violet at all, but a member of the lily 

 family. The twin leaves are almost as 

 attractive as the flower, and has sug- 

 gested the name of trout-lily. They 

 are lancelate in shape, pale green in 

 color, and dappled with spots of brown. 

 The dogtooth violet grows from a tu- 

 berous root deep in the earth. The yel- 

 low flower hangs downward like a bell, 

 and swings in the wind as though 

 swayed by invisible sprites. 



On the warm hill slopes, hepaticas 

 and arbutus were visible some days ago. 

 The mountain pink, Phlox siibulata, 

 forms splashes of color against the 

 brown grass, growing in tangled clus- 

 ters along the sylvan pathway. It is an 

 attractive little specimen, with its mass 

 of interwoven stems and leaves lying 

 close to the ground, and numerous 

 dainty flowers ranging in color from 

 white to purple. 



The dainty Virginia saxifrage shyly 

 lifts its head on the slender downy stem, 

 which starts up from the rosette of small 

 green leaves attached to a mossy rock. 

 The name, saxifrage, signifies jock- 

 breaker, from the fact that the roots 

 sometimes split the stones apart when 

 growing in the crevices. The florets 

 are whitish, tinged with purple, in a 

 dense little spike at the top of the downy 

 scape. 



The grove sandwort, a pretty little 

 plant with delicate white flowers, can be 

 found here and there in the open woods, 

 where the warm sunshine falls. 



Conspicuous against the green pines 

 and hemlocks on the hillside, the white 

 flag of the June berry tree waves in the 

 breeze. Flowering at the time when 

 shad begin to run up stream, it also 

 goes by the name of shad-bush or shad- 

 flower. The snowy petals hang in ter- 

 minal racemes, and appear long in ad- 

 vance of the green leaves. 



Honey bees hover among the yellow 

 catkins of the willows, and the red buds 

 of the sugar maple. The willow and 

 maple are the first honey flowers to ap- 

 pear. Arbutus, hepaticas, bloodroot, 

 violets and other early flowers contain 

 no sugar for honey making. 



The dandelion is a honey flower, and 

 a favorite of the bee. It is the first 

 composite flower to bloom, and wonder- 

 fully beautiful, in spite of popular preju- 

 dice to the contrary. It is a truly mar- 

 velous flower, combining in one head a 

 multitude of separate florets, most 

 daintily formed. Only by the aid of a 

 magnifying glass can we see and realize 

 the interesting structure. Scattered 

 among the grass, or clustered by hun- 

 dreds on a sloping bank of green, can 

 anything be lovelier than this golden- 

 hearted flower? Surely it is unjust to 

 despise anything so wonderful, just be- 

 cause it chooses to glorify the earth be- 

 neath our feet. 



Charles F. Fudge. 



203 



