Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-05-17
Among the Early Wild Flowers.
Mrs. H. NJ. Lewis, in Western Cwis.) Farmer


tious and few flowers are found. We
have gathered hepaticas oa the 7th day
of March. Ia April if we stroll through
the woods and over the warm sillsides,
we will find bright blossoms that plain
ly to say us, beautiful, bslmy spring.
with its sunshine, opening buds. lovely
blossoms and fresh, green leaves, is
with you once more to gladden. your
hearts"
We will put on our heavy walking
shoes and make our first visit TO the
waters edge or marshy ground. Here
we fad the graceful downy catkins of
the Willows, that the children christen
''pussies." In the marsh below. the
skunk cabbage (sympoloarplIS Jatidtts),
appears in view. 1t Is sometimes seen
in the middle of snow and ice. The
large jack in the pulpit flower of green
and purple shoots out from the ground
as soon as the green leaves appear.
We will go over the hillside that looks
eastward, there to find spreading clus-
tiers of the beautiful basque flower Tan
eD,one patittS) wind flower it is called,
because it is supposed to only open
wheS the wind blows. The hairy
| flower stem is about four inches high;
bears several fine gray leaves, and is
crowned with single large, bell-shaped
white, or rose-tiuted flower, the exter-
nal of reddish purple; the seed is
incosed in q gray fringe.
Next comes the hepatica, or liver
wort, (hacutiloba To me no more
lovely flower ever appears than this
sweet child of the early spring. Year
after year it has blossomed for us
among the rocks in the garden; and
when it first appears we feel an irresist-
able desire to talk to it, for il has SO
much individuality and the little faces
look so bright and fresh; some Of them
are pure white, others rose, ping, and
purple, and the odor from them is
sweet and faint ust like spring.
Now, as we are in the woods, let US
look sharp, for neighb0rs are sure to be
near. This beautiful pure white flower
with petals like wax is the blood-root
(sanguinaria canadensis The single
large green-vined leaf is enclrcling the
| flower bud as if to shield it from the
cold. In picking or transplanting it,
we must handle with care, for fluid
resembling blood is concealed in the
dark stem and red root.
The marsh marigold (caitha palus-
trus) commonly called cowslip is found
| upon all of the marshes. This golden
| flower is well known to us all. Ii is
valuable garden plant if allowed to
grow in small tub, or wooden bowl
where it can be supplied plentiousy
with water.
The word anemone, Ia. nemorosa) Of
poetic fame, is delicate pretty flower,
that sends up stem bearing three
leaves, covered with single white bios
som, sometimes tinged with pink.
They generally grow in masses.
The dlcentrs, or as it IS commonly
called Dutchmen's Breeches, on ac-
count of the supposed :resemblancejof
the coralla to that article of dress, IS
perennial with finely divided orna.
mental leaves of pale green, from the
midst of which rises a scape, bearing
one-sided rocline of white or creamy
pendulous flowers This beautiful II )w-
er transplants well. 1t should be found
universally in our gardens; it improves
| with CULTIVATION
The claytonia, spring beauty,a it is
| commonly called is we'll known to
every school girl and boy. Some writ.
er has said that elf you look at it with
q microscope, you will see that it is
made of pink hair-lines on ground
of faint pink, and dots Of pink on al
most invisible stamens, little bits of
colors and minute proportions, but
making a shape and flower presence
incomparably lovely"
Our two varieties of erythroneum,
the Americanum, yellow adder's tongue,
and the AlbidunI, white dogs tooth
violet, are already seen? The leaf III
the first variety is long and glossy, spot
ted with brown. The beautiful lily is
| borne in the center of the two leaves.
OF the Wake-Robin (triIlium) we
have two varieties. The name trilix,
triple, as ii has all its pSrts in threes -
three petals, three leaves of the calyx
and three green leaves on the flo yer
stem. The trillium graudi6orum is a
beautiful pure white lily, that grows
about foot high; the petals are about
two inches long, and as the flower grows
all the color changes to blush color
The trillium picum is variety not
very commonly seen; flowers are of
pinkish white, petals and leaves slightly
curled. II is exclusively a North Amer
! lean plant.
| | have always found the anemone,
liyer-root, blood-root, spring beauty and
violets associsting together, and wner-
ever you find one, you find all. Two
varieties OF violets have now appeared,
the early blue and the yellow. No
early spring flower is more eagerly
sought for than the violet. In the gar
dens of the south We saw great num-
bers Of wild violets growing as border
palts, and for such uses they are said
to be most valuable.
The rue-anemone or meadow rue
fthalistrum anemonoides) in aspect
and size closely resembles the anemone
nemorosa, but ii i not an anemonc; It
grows in sunny spots. The buttercup
(ranuncalus) Is nov seen in many
places. Il IS great fayorite With the
children.
The willows. elms, cottonwOods, and