Magenta to Pick' 



in bright patches among the dry grass of early autumn, with small 

 butterflies, that are its devoted admirers, hovering above. 



Pink or Pale Corydalis 



{Capnoides sempervirens) Poppy family 

 {Corydalis glauca of Gray) 



Flowers — Pink, with yellow tip, about % in. long, a few borne in a 

 loose, terminal raceme. Calyx of 2 small sepals; corolla ir- 

 regular, of 4 erect, closed, and flattened petals joined, i of outer 

 pair with short rounded spur at base, the interior ones narrow 

 and keeled on back. Stamens 6, in 2 sets, opposite outer 

 petals; i pistil. Stem: Smooth, curved, branched, i to 2 feet 

 high. Leaves: Pale grayish green, delicate, divided into 

 variously and finely cut leaflets. Fruit: Very narrow, erect 

 pod, I to 2 in. long. 



Preferred Habitat — Rocky, rich, cool woods. 



Flowering Season — April — September. 



Distribution — Nova Scotia westward to Alaska, south to Minnesota 

 and North Carolina. 



Dainty little pink sacs, yellow at the mouth, hang upside 

 down along a graceful stem, and instantly suggest the Dutch- 

 man's breeches, squirrel corn, bleeding heart, and climbing fumi- 

 tory, to which the plant is next of kin. Because the lark {Kory- 

 dalos) has a spur, the flower, which boasts a small one also, bor- 

 rows its Greek name. 



Hildebrand proved by patient experiments that some flowers 

 of this genus have not only lost the power of self-fertilization, but 

 that they produce fertile seed only when pollen from another 

 plant is carried to them. Yet how diificult they make dining for 

 their benefactors ! The bumblebee, which can reach the nectar, 

 but not lap it conveniently, often ' ' gets square " with the secretive 

 blossom by nipping holes through its spur, to which the hive bees 

 and others hasten for refreshment. We frequently find these punc- 

 tured flowers. But hive and other bees visiting the blossom for 

 pollen, some rubs off against their breast when they depress the 

 two middle petals, a sort of sheath that contains pistil and stamens. 



Hardback; Steeple Bush 



{Spiraea tomentosa) Rose family 



Flowers — Pink or magenta, rarely white, very small, in dense, 

 pyramidal clusters. Calyx of 3 sepals; corolla of 5 rounded 



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