34 



TREES AND FLOWERS OF 



(yellow) 



(cream) 



YELLOW WATER LILY 



MARSH MARIGOLD 



Yellow Water Lily (Nuphar) . People generally 

 think of mountain regions as places of steep slopes 

 and rushing torrents, and water lilies in the moun- 

 tains seem almost out of place. But even mountain 

 streams are interrupted occasionally by quiet little 

 lakes, and here water lilies make their home. The 

 large white water lily of the East does not occur in 

 this region, but a smaller yellow water lily is abun- 

 dant. It comes into bloom early in July, and con- 

 tinues until frost. 



Marsh Marigold (Caltha). Along the margins of 

 the water lily ponds, and in many other moist and 

 marshy places in the Park, this species abounds. Al- 

 most always its roots, and frequently even part of its 

 stems, are under the surface of watery muck. The 

 stems, thick, fleshy and hollow, branch into a rather 

 bushy structure from eight inches to a foot in height. 

 They bear a large number of thickish, round leaves 

 from two to four inches across. The flowers bear a 

 strong resemblance to buttercups, except that they are 

 white, slightly tinged with blue on the outside. The 

 plant is very similar to the Eastern marsh marigold, 

 except for the color of the flowers, which in the 

 Eastern species is bright yellow. 



