174 FAMILIAR FLOWERS OP FIELD AND GARDEN. 



like the flock of daffodils on the margin of the lake 

 which Wordsworth sang about ; but no one of our 

 poets sings the praises of butter and eggs, and their 

 dainty coloring brightens the dullness of waste places 

 beside our highways in vain — yet not quite in vain, 

 for the flower is a great favorite among the chil- 

 dren. It is very common in the Catskills, but rather 

 rare in the heart of the White Mountains.. It deco- 

 rates every empty city lot, and yet it is not a native 

 of , our country, but was brought here from Europe. 

 It is in bloom from July until late October. 

 Wild Blue Toadflax. There is another, blue-colored wild 

 Unaria Canadensis, toadflax, common in the Middle 

 States though rarely found down East, which is not 

 nearly so pretty as its orange and yellow relative. 

 It is pale blue-purple in color, has a rather scrawny 

 flower stalk, and frequently lies prone on the ground 

 with the small flowers more or less injured with 

 dust and sand. This variety also blooms until late 

 in October. Toad-flax is first cousin to the beautiful 

 garden snapdragon {Antirrhinum tnajus), which is 

 resplendent in purple, violet-blue, and transparent 

 Avhite. A. maurandioides is a Texan and Mexican 

 variety in cultivation with violet flowers which spring 

 from the leaf axils. A. Orontium is a pale purplish 

 flower, and a weed of old gardens ; the plant is 

 smaller than the preceding one. 



