New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-01
AMONG THE WILD FLOWERS.
VI.
VI.
THE HAPPY AUTUMN FIELDS
FRINGED AND OTHER GENTIANs-THE LAST
oRcHID-A MOUNTAIN RoAD-vEGETABLE
sTOwAwAYS-" LIFE-EyERLASTING.'
BY MRS. WILLIAM STARR DANA.
Copyright: 1898. By The Tribune Assoefation

On every perfect day Nature, like beautiful
woman, cajoles her true lovers into the belief
that she has never before worn so becoming
dress. ! have a conviction of long standing
that the world is fairest when the trees are first
laced with green and little tender things arc
pushing up everywhere and bursting into miracles
of delicate bloom. Yet with each heaven-born
morning of the succeeding seasons, this some
what spasmodic faith is weakly surrendered II
is Impossible 10 wonder that Lowell asked,
What is so rare day in June?
when the lanes are first lined with whitc-nowercd
shrubs. and the air is heavy with fragrance and
alive with bird voices. Later, without ore back
ward glance, | abandon myself to the ripe luscious
beauty of midsummer. And though, while taking
my first fall wall; the other day for the true
fall is not here till we'll on in September, and
while noting how the hills wcga vee1 by sill
very mist, and how the roadsdcs many
hucd embroidery, and that the sumach in the
swamp was beginning to look lire the burning
bush Of old, ! felt that there could be 10 beauty
like this which forctold the end; yet already
realize that before long the purple shadows will
lie so softly upon the snowy fields, and the faint
rose Of dawn or twilight will flush with such
tenderness the white side of the mountain, that
the earth may seem lovclcr in her shroud than IN
any Of her living garments. But it is altogether
human 70 set especial value upon the things of
which we are about to be- deprived, and now.
more than ever, we lilgcr out of doors, yielding
ourselves to influences which lie upon our spirits
like q bcncdiction, storing our minds with images
which, among less inspiring surroundings, Will
49, fash upon that inward eye.
Which is the bliss Of solitude.
Few flowers are abroad barring the asters and
golden-rods. yet these few We invest with
REGULAR interest and affection, experiencing SEN
sation OF gratitude. almost ~ toward some beings
who have stood stanch when the mrltltudes Tell
away
40 group Of plants belong more di'tnctiveY
70 the season than do the gcntians. OF these the
most famous. though by no means the most
frequent representative, is the frine'I gcntan, a
flower which owes | fancy, much Of its reputa-
tion 10 Brvant's well-known lines; not That IL
docs not deserve the interest which has centred
about it, but that. while every one has heard
of il comparatively few people seem to nave
forretcd ont IL, haunts Probably Bryant, also, Is
largely responsible for the somewhat inaccurate
notions which are anoat concerning its usual
season of blooming This is in September, long
before the
49, woods are bare and birds are flown
although 1horeau, if remember rightly. records
that he found il in Hover as late H. NoNe""'i
:, when certainly
- frosts and shortening days portend
The aged year IL near his end
Nv first frin2cd erntian was the reward oi
forty-uilc drive taken one cold autumn day Tor
thc sole purpos" of paying court to its blue love
lines, II cnticcd Us into - wet green meadow,
whcr, pckipg our way from hummock 10 hum
mock. without apprcciahly diminishing the sup
nlv we gathered one tall cluster after another
If the delicate dccp-hucd blossoms. In bud the
frinc.d petals are twisted one about the other
Wien the day is cloudy. cvcn should JUICE
If the wind i high. the full blown Hover closes
in Nh. same fashion The individuals which grow
in the shad. are even more attractive than those
which fire. .ucnt the open Their blue Is lighter,
with a silvcry tinee which do not recall IN any
other flower Until this year have never en-
countcrci the plant in my ordinary wanderlnss,
hut dnrins the past few days ] have found 1t
bordering in abundance th" berkshire lanes
reing 4 biennial, we cannot predict with certainty
its whereabouts from year 10 year, rs its seeds
may be- washed 10 some distance IN the moist
REGIONS which usually it favors.
Far less delicate and uncommon. but still at
tractiyc j. the closed gcntan. This is usually
"A stout. rather tall plant, with crowded clusters
Of deep blue or purple flowers, which never open,
lookine always like buds H. crow, along tho
shaded roadsdes, and is easily confused with
other members Of the group. as both tho hve-
howeicd aud soapwort gcntians have narrow