New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-11

WAKE ROBIN.
and translates the invitation expressed by their
fragrance? doubt if he who has never been
SO brutal az to pull flower to pieces" even
dmly understands ali the strange, sweet JOY
Of wood walk these June days, when We are
tempted eagerly-almost breathlessly-but always
rcvcrently. with the reverence that is born OF
knowledge, and inasmuch superior 10 that which
springs from ignorance. 10 turn the pages and
decpher what
In natures infinite book OF secrecy.
When we learn to call the flowers
by name We take the first step toward
a real intimacy with them. An eager
sportsman who had always noticed and wondered
about the plants which he met on every fishing
expedition, wrote to me few weeks since that
hitherto he had felt toward them th1 charity
boy did about the alphabet, he knew the little
bcgqars by sight but h. couldn't tell their names
And il seems as if n letter describing the dir
ferent flowers to he found in the woods and fields
and by the roadsides at the very date Of its pub
LEGATION. ought 70 be helpful to those who care to
tell their names
In open sunny places just now the various shades
Of yellow seem TO prevail. | once heard some one
say that he couldn't like yellow flowers, they
looked so cheap huu even W"Ius"Oi'h, VNNh-
faithful cclebrant Of the unassuming common
place. sings with poetic inconsistency: 90
III befal the yellow flowers,
Children Of the farng hours.
and with little appreciation Of the Ill which would
befall every sunight-lovng eye were his rash wish
granted. Who would fore2o the prodiga gold OF
the little cnqmofoil winch is carreting every
meadow and roadside with those divided leaves
;nto tha hnli a
ycllow-aowcred wild strawberry? Neither could
We spare the slstcnng blossoms of the common
wood. sorie whose clio, ike leaflets alone serve.
with the majority Of passers-by, TO distinguish 1t
rom the cinauefoil Even the tall, britte-stemmed.
fourpetalled celandne, guardian of the village
wayride. we would hardly TO he without AL
though perhaps some of would Cling 10 1t
chiefly because we wrongly believed il 10 be ident-
cal with the rfamed and much-rhymed little
flower Of Wordsworth. which has never been
natural7ed in this country and is not even allied
70 our cclandinc. a plant of foreign extraction
itself
II any yellow flowers were condemned to ban
ishment | think we could b.st spare the mustards
The wnter-cress. OF herb of ST. Barbara, Is the
first yellow mustard to appear, and Is so associ-
ated with rubbish heap beyond the wall Of some
neglected garden, that | doubt if we would re-
gret its disappearance
But even if without sympathy for the mus
tards as a family. it is well TO learn TO recognize
them Mt sight and this usually do by their
four white or yellow petals, which are so placed
AZ TO form cross giving the tribe it's Latin
name. Crucifcrac, and by the pods, which often
appear before all the flowers have passed away.
More attractive than the winter-cress, and plen-
tfnl now, is the golden ragwort, suggesting
yellow daisy. In moist places are the fat-topped
umbes of the early meadowparsnip. with yell
low umhrclla-lille clusters which betray their
kinshp with the white wild carrot of summer
and the origin of the scientific name of their fam
lily, Imboiferae.
In certain meadows the long grass is Hooded
with deep orange. and if we explore their depths
we discover the smooth. slender stems, pale leaves,
and t"ep-lued flower heal. suggesting dandelions
somewhat of the cynthia
Great patches of these are int"rspersei with
lavender masses OF wild gcranum, flower nearly
allied to the blossom which led the German stu
dent, Sprcngel. 10 suspect the important minis
istrations of ns 'cts to plants. lie pondered long
the significance of the bearded throat which pro-
tects the nectar from rain and Useless insects
convinced that " the wise author OF nature had
not created hair in vain. These flowers are
sometimes spoken of as blue, again as pink, again
~ purple but believe iii" majority will agree
that " pink -pltrplc D'St tb'>tflih'S In'lT
hue Soon the five rounded petals will fall re-
veallng bcak-lik" projection, which Will enlarge
until finally it splits apart into five separate
pieces with such force project the tiny seeds
within to some distance, thus atforilng them "A
letter chance Of securing desirable fo0thod
than if they Were all allowed TO fall directly be-
meath the parent plant. This beak-iikc object
accounts for the title. wild cranesbl. which
the flower sometimes bears
"Spccdwcll" is the name of the tiny blli"-vcinel
blossoms which now, spIr" Upward IRON creeping
tl., 1.i1 A.,,,, no hnn NV.
age" at every turn. More purple than blue arr
the delicate, yclow-centrcd blossoms Of the blue
eyed grass, growing in thick, close tufts. When
the sun is cloudcd or il they picked, tho little
llue eyes close tightly and only the restored sun
light will tempt them to open again. These are
little sisters Of the stately blu" fias which ~ ting
TO th', purple indeed is the flag or heur de-lls
full Of vipor and seli-contd'ncc. cannot sym
pathze with Thorcan's assertion that II Is loose
and coarse in its habit" 100 snowy and gaudy
Here il "a piece of woods whose mysterious IN
tervals of light and shade tempt H. into IFS re-
O. s>es Beneath its cathcdral-like arches quaint
,ac, LIN ,h-pulpit erect Themselves their thrc,-
div ided leaves. and green or pnrp" veined, dell
catclv canopicd pulpits far larger and souter than
when we first discovered them month ago. From
rocky lodges glow jcwe-likc coiumbincs, their
curved, spnr-liAr red petals, yellow within. their
divided leaves making "A soft background Of deli
Along the brooks cIge are slim blue vioiets, and
tiny white ones, brown-vencd with fcint. elusive
fragrance: Will" on Il no'sv. loainlnpre num-
mock Just beyond is d cluster Of the rare birdfoot
species, with larIc, velvety, pnrp" blossoms sug-
g,stive Of its enrl"n sister. the pansv. ana M
vioct-ike caves divided into narrow scgments.
At the foot Of an old oak tho curvei stems Of
the Solomon's s.al hung with straw-cOloed
bells. II uproot this plant we can see the
scars made by the separation from the rootstock of
the shoots Of previous years. suggestive of the i'm
preston of a seal upon Close by is its con-
slant companion and namesake, the false Solo,
mans seal which hears it's grcensh somewhat
fragrant flowers in terminal plume. Another