PRESERVING CONNECTICUT’S W ILD FLOWERS 
17 
Preserving Connecticut’s Wild 
Flowers. 
From Miss Amy R. Thurston, Litch- 
field. Connecticut. Secretary of the 
Connecticut Wild-flower Preservation 
Committee of the Garden Club of 
America, we have received a series of 
six articles explaining the reasons why 
certain of our Connecticut wild flowers 
are in danger of extermination and in 
need of protection from the public. The 
flowers for which special appeal is made 
are lady’s-slippers, Calopogon, pogonia 
and other common orchids. There is 
also an appeal for mountain laurel, 
trailing arbutus, hepatica, jack-in-the- 
pulpit. trilliums, Solomon’s seal, fringed 
gentian, cardinal flower and several 
others. 
An appeal is also made to stop the 
abuse of parks and of favorite sites for 
picnics by the scattering of lunch ref- 
use. It is pointed out quite emphat- 
ically that many persons are in the 
habit of carving names and all sorts of 
designs, notably that of the human 
heart, on the beeches. It is claimed that 
such disfigurement may be seen on al- 
most any fine beech of roadside or park. 
This statement holds true of the won- 
derful beeches at the entrance to Bruce 
Park in Greenwich. There are two of 
the finest beeches in all Connecticut, 
and they should be a great pride to 
every resident of this vicinity. It is 
most astonishing that these beautiful, 
magnificent trees should have been 
desecrated. 
Here at ArcAdiA we are trying to 
develop the beauty spot of Sound 
Beach, making it so far as possible a 
harmony of wild and cultivated. Yet 
innumerable passers-by seem to look 
upon it, especially the portion devoted 
to wild nature, as a dumping ground 
for all sorts of trash. It requires the 
labor of some one every two or three 
days to pick up papers, cigarette boxes, 
cracker boxes, milk bottles thrown 
upon our grounds. It is indeed dis- 
couraging that so many have no regard 
whatever for the appearance of park 
or village. It makes one wonder 
whether we are not only just beginning 
to emerge into the era of civilization 
and still have to learn a number of the 
fine things of life. It should not require 
so much time and effort to protest 
against the desecrations of nature. Why 
is it that many choice and rare flowers 
are being pulled up by the roots and 
idly torn to pieces? What is the innate 
characteristic of the human being that 
will do that kind of thing? 
We even have to caution some of our 
apparently most appreciative visitors 
at ArcAdiA against picking the best 
and rarest things. It seems not to be a 
lack of appreciation. Several times a 
choice thing has been picked before we 
could state our rule that nothing is to 
be picked. Startling experiences along 
that line make us appreciate the great 
task before us. 
The most astonishing thing of all, 
however, is to see passers-by look with 
admiration upon ArcAdiA and even to 
hear them make kindly remarks as to 
its beautiful appearance, and then to 
see them leave on its grounds candy 
wrappers, papers, cigarette boxes and 
the like. We have come to have a 
MRS. FANNIE E. BLAKELY'S BUNGALOW IN LOWER CALIFORNIA. 
See her article, “Spring in Southern California,” on page 181 of our number for May, 1921. 
