THE WILD SPRING FLOWERS OF THE FARM 209 



hepatica come all in a troop and unattended; the leaves of 

 the past season, still green, lie prone about them; those of 

 the coming season will shortly rise and expand — indeed, ere 

 the flowers have faded, a new crop of leaves may be seen 

 lifting their fuzzy tips all together. For hepatica has the 

 curious habit of producing its entire crop of leaves, as by a 

 single mighty effort, all at once, and holding them until the 

 next annual crop is matured. 



Most spring flowers tend to form clumps or great masses 

 in the woods, and to this habit many charming effects in 

 wild-wood landscapes are due. Think of the banks you 

 have seen of moss-pink, or trillium, or columbine; the 

 levels covered with violets or bloodroot or spring 

 beauty! Mandrakes are gregarious and flock together 

 like sheep . They hang their big white flowers coyly under huge 

 umbrella-shaped leaves, and make a beautiful ground-cover 

 of shining green domes. Wild ginger also, hides its curious 

 brown-purple flowers under a beautiful leaf-mosaic at the 

 very surface of the ground. The big white trillium lets its 

 flowers lop over on one side and holds them until they 

 turn rose-purple in fading. 



It is not flowers alone for which these plants are desir- 

 able. Their foliage is often of beautiful design. Where 

 can there be found stronger simple outlines than those of 

 the leaves of the hepatica, bloodroot or bird's-foot violet? 

 Where, more airy, lacy effects than in the foliage of squirrel- 

 corn, anemonella, and early meadow-rue? Where, softer 

 leaf colorings than in adder's-tongue, hepatica or the spathe 

 of Jack-in-the-pulpit ? The flower of the wild columbine is 

 splendid — and worthy of having been advocated for adop- 

 tion as the flower of the nation — but it is hardly more 

 pleasing than the finely cut, gracefully poised, silvery 

 tinted foliage, which lasts all summer long. Some bulbous- 

 rooted spring flowers, to be sure, lose their foliage before 



