COMMON AMERICAN WILD FLOWERS 



In this number, pages 591 to 606, the Geographic Magazine, at very great 

 expense, prints another series of colored pictures of Common American Wild 

 Flowers. These exquisite paintings, as well as the subjects of the previous series, 

 were drawn from life by Mary B. Eaton, of the New York Botanical Garden, 

 the able director of which, Dr. N. L. Britton, has cordially cooperated in their 

 preparation. 



In future numbers the Geographic will present additional paintings of native 

 wild flowers. 



No out-of-door interest brings to old and young richer returns in entertain- 

 ment and instruction than is found in making the acquaintance of our wild 

 flowers. Many of these, such as the daisy, mullen, aster, blue-Hag, etc., are so 

 plentiful that they may be picked at will; but there are others — for instance, the 

 May-apple, spring beauty, lupines, lady' s-slip per, etc. — which may become as rare 

 as the trailing arbutus unless every one unites to preserve them. So it is to be 

 hoped that the city dwellers who on their automobile excursions thoughtlessly cut 

 and bring back great branches of dogwood and baskets laden with our rarer zvood 

 flowers will soon realize that, unless their plucking be tempered with judgment, 

 the suburbs of all our £ities will in the not-distant future be bereft of many of 

 these flower treasures. 



FORGET-ME-NOT (Myosotis scorpioides 

 L.) 



(See page 591) 



The forget-me-not is a delightful immigrant 

 belonging to that numerous family which in- 

 cludes the Virginia cowslip, hound's tongue, 

 and comfrey. 



The flowering season of this plant is from 

 May to July. It came to us from Europe and 

 Asia, and is now spreading from Nova Scotia 

 southward along the Atlantic coast. It was led 

 into captivity many centuries ago. As far back 

 as we are able to trace flower history it held 

 an honored place in the flower garden, and 

 when America was settled, it was brought 

 along to cheer the settler's austere life, and to 

 remind him of the old roof-tree across the 

 billowy sea. 



The forget-me-not likes to play hookey from 

 the flower garden, and to steal down to the 

 brookside and meadow and live within ear- 

 shot of the gurgling stream. With all that 

 man hasdone for it, he has never bred out of 

 it the spirit of independence that has been lost 

 by most of the other flowers of the garden, for 

 whenever opportunity affords, the forget-me- 

 not yields to the call of the wild. 



Have you ever noticed the little golden circle 

 around the center of the flower? That little 

 circle is put there by the flower as a honey 

 guide, to tell the bee just where to insert her 

 tongue to get the richest draught of nectar, 

 and at the same time to touch both anther and 

 stigma and thus fertilize the plant. And if you 

 will watch the bees, you will discover that they 

 are as careful to follow this signboard pointing 

 to the well of nectar as a motoring tourist is 

 to follow the signboard to the best hotel when 

 night overtakes him. 



There are many legends concerning the for- 

 get-me-not. Tennyson once wrote that it grows 



for happy lovers. Another writer tells us that 

 once upon a time a young lover, trying to 

 gather a bunch of these lovely blossoms for 

 his sweetheart, slipped into the water and, as 

 he was sinking, tossed the flowers to her and 

 asked her to keep them and not to forget him. 



VIRGINIA CREEPER (Parthenocissus 

 quinquefolia (L.) Planchon) 



(See page 592) 



The Virginia creeper is a member of the 

 grape family, cousin alike to the sour frost- 

 grape of the woods and the luscious Concord 

 of the vineyard. It has been called the false 

 grape, although it is too fair a plant thus to be 

 slandered by a name. No lover of the wood- 

 land will ever be made to believe that the Vir- 

 ginia creeper essays a role to which it is not 

 entitled. Some people mistakenly call it the 

 woodbine, but that name more properly belongs 

 to another plant of the honeysuckle family. 



Many people confuse the Virginia creeper 

 with the rascally poison ivy, a confusion which 

 nothing but carelessness in remembering the 

 characteristics of plants could bring about; for 

 the Virginia creeper is careful always to put 

 forth five leaves where the poison ivy has only 

 three (compare pages 592 and 593). 



This graceful climber has traveled as far 

 north as Newfoundland, as far south as Cuba, 

 and as far west as the western part of the 

 Mississippi Valley. 



It lives true to its name, creeping on and on, 

 securing a new foothold here and another 

 there, sending out its tendrils as it grows, 

 When one of these succeeds in arranging its 

 branches so that they can press upon any sur- 

 face, its curved tips swell and become bright 

 red. On their undersides they form little disks 

 or cushions, which attach themselves to the 

 surface and afford a new foothold for the vine. 



5S4 



