202 
PREPARING FOR SPRING 
come* They lend a charm even to the frozen ground 
by their symmetrical outlines and torpid promise of 
renewed life* In spring they will speedily wither as 
the strong, coarse stalk rises from the ground* Some 
of the outer points of the circles are already turning 
brown* 
There are other decorative rosettes nestling close 
on the hard, frozen surface* The Viper's Bugloss, 
branded by an unsympathetic community as a 
noxious weed, in spite of the bright picturesque 
aspect of its blue, bristling spikes of flowers, appears 
like dark green stars under the withered grass and 
sedges* Its coarser and bristling texture distinguishes 
it from the evening primrose* In summer it displays 
a decorative scheme peculiarly its own, coarsely 
picturesque, with unfolding spikes of small blue 
tubular flowers relieved by pink buds and red pro- 
truding stamens* The best time to study the wild 
flowers is all the year round. The Shepherd's Purse, 
more conspicuous as a weed than as a flower, now 
takes on a fine rosette form and lies close to the 
ground, its deeply-lobed leaves in a less regular circle 
presenting an excellent decorative effect* In summer 
its little, two-lobed, purse-like seed pods will be more 
conspicuous than its diminutive white flowers* Just 
now it is at its best* The Saxifrage spreads a litde 
irregular bunch of leaves on the ground, seeming 
eager for a chance to hide away under the snow* 
