Wild Flowers as They Grow 



But, like Cinderella, the White Campion has a 



fairy godmother, who visits it late in the day, and 



this fairy godmother is called " the Shades of 



Evening." The time of the fairy visit is as the 



sun is setting and his rays are gently sliding across 



the earth, not striking it fiercely. The greyness that 



is creeping up is the fairy wand, and at its touch 



the flowers lift themselves. The joy of life seems 



to enter into them as the petals lose their shabby 



creases and spread, and as they spread each blossom 



puts on a bridal dress of gleaming whiteness. The 



dull green stalk and the rough, iminteresting leaves 



disappear in the kindly covering of night, and only 



the flowers shine out like stars on the darkening 



background of the hedgeside. Even the fact that 



they are comparatively few in number is now an 



advantage, for each stands out separate and distinct. 



It is for this reason that botanists call the plant 



Lychnis vespertina, for it is indeed a " torch of the 



evening." 



Two further gifts are yet bestowed by the fairy 



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