BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 
a blanket of fallen leaves and similar litter, until they. 
are covered by the snow and made triply snug and 
secure for the winter. Again in the spring these 
leaves are first to catch the warm rays of the sun, and 
the ground about them is first to become freed from 
the frost crystals and to arouse their roots to activity. 
It is interesting at this point to compare the appear- 
ance of the flowering buds of the Hepaticas with those 
of the Bloodroot. The flowers of the former rise direct 
from their fibrous roots, and the bud and stem are 
thickly covered with very fine fuzzy hairs, which have 
been likened unto a fur overcoat, intended to protect 
them from the cold, while the stem and bud of the latter, 
flowering somewhat later, are perfectly smooth and 
appear carefully folded in a leafy cape, which is forced 
up from a thick, juicy rootstock, purposely to pro- 
tect it from the chilly spring air. 
The blossom of the Hepatica has no petals. Its 
six to twelve delicate, coloured, oblong sepals may 
easily be mistaken for them as they are closely supported 
by three small, oval, hairy, reddish-green leaflets which, 
at the same time, might be mistaken for the calyx. 
Solitary flowers are borne on slender, hairy stems, 
some three to five inches in height. They are less than 
an inch broad, and exhale a delicate fragrance, although 
the odour is by no means constant. The blossom 
closes at night. The numerous greenish pistils and 
yellowish, hair-like anther-bearing stamens, are 
prettily clustered in the centre. The general colour 
of the blossoms varies from blue, lavender and pink, to 
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