MAY, JUNE, JULY, AND AUGUST. 



101 



Spiderwort. 



Ti'ailescantia 



The spiderwort, somewhat more fa- 

 miliar to us in the old-fashioned gar- 

 den than growing wild, is neverthe- 

 less common in some of the moist places of western 

 New York and the South. It is an at- 

 tractive little, three-petaled, purple-blue 

 flower with orange-yellow anthers, 

 which unfortunately has a very 

 short life. There 

 are so few blue 

 wild flowers that 

 the delicate blos- 

 som is beautiful for this rea- 

 son if for no other. The little 

 blue clusters snuggled at the bases of 

 the narrow green leaves form a very 

 pretty bit of color harmony. The plant 

 blooms in early summer. 



Star of Bethlehem. ^''^J ^ays the star of 

 Bethlehem is an old gar- 

 den flower which has es- 

 caped to low meadows. The leaves 

 Spiderwort. are loug and grasslike, and the flower, 

 like that of Nicotiama affinis, is white 

 within and green without; but, exactly unlike the 

 latter flower, it opens in sunshine. It is common 

 in some localities and absent in others; it grows, 



Orriithogalum 



umbellatum. 



