The Red Cloud chief., 1897-08-06
FLOWERS OF THE WEST
Seine Of the Botanical beauties Of the Gel.
ifornia valleys.

can fairly challenge the rest of the
world in the luxurious vegetation Of
Its spring months While blizzards
ave raging In the middle states and on
che Atlantic coast and snow falls in the
north this great valley presents a car
pet Of unsurpassed beauty and gran
deur, q sward not of vivid vendure
alone, but i~nterspersed with innumer-
able colors of a Kaleidoscope picture.
The plains, parched and dry in sum
mer, are transformed in January into
emerald fields, the early showers trans
figuring the uninviting landscape into
. vision Of beauty never Ia be forgotten,
The overland tourists, or those from
Oregon. Washington and British Colum.
bia, will remark n certain popularity
about the San joaquin valley in the
early spring months There 10 almost
. total absence of yellow among the
green swards Of the plains. One does
not see dsndelions and ranunculi, 80
abundant in the north; they appear
only here and in moist localities and in
no great profusion. The spring Of cen.
trNl California is ushered in, not with
yellow, but with blue-the blue Of the
purest and the most exquisite hue,
closely followed by white. The yellow
and the orange appear later.
The beautiful %nemophila or baby
blue eyes, looks to us with really blue
eyes early in the spring. In Eebru-
airy this fragile flower appears among
the deep green Of the fields, often in
such a profusion that the prairie looks
like the skies above. This delicate
plant of tender heritage prefers low and
shady localities, It's divided leaves
growing close TO the ground. The
flower is an inch or less in diameter.
usually very much less. and lasts until
about May /. After that time the
~neniophilS is 10 lie found only here and
there RI some she TERED hooks and cor
ners.
For 10 companion the baby blue
eyes Lave parterres Of white forget
me-nots, u modest 9ud Insignificant
flower, hut growing n great profusion
With the forget-me-not or myosotis is
numbered the wild heliotrope. a fra
gran herb of considerable size, with
prettv orange-colored blossoms; the
blue bOrrage, a rank herb, preferring
damp localities, and the amsickia or
SdTWetu, an annud Wlln pblpnk Odti
70 linear leaves and yellow flowers in
long spikes.
One of the most beautiful II not the
most beautiful Of all the spring flowers
ds the so-called cream cup or platy
stigma. There are no words to de-
scribe the peculiar beauty of this OK.
'quisite plant. The petals are so deli
cate that no other flower can be com
pared in that respect TO IT, Thsy are
I'd IN exquisiNo hue, creamy, or pale
yellow Of that peculiar color which il
~ most difficult Of all TO initiate in
paint Often The petals shade 70 orange
- the center. Their number 10 six,
with numerous stAmsnA The oblan-
Isolate leaves are usually from han IN
inch 70 IN inch long, and IN Of that
PALE green eOlsr which can almost be
called gray. The cream cup 10 allen
dor annual, somewhat villous and GOV.
cred with delicate hairs. II belongs "a
'ths order Of the papsverace. and like
other poppies Il has flowers Of an ex.
'trenely delicate structure. The eresm-
Cup appears very early, usually in the
beginning Of March and reaches its
hest development NJ the end Of April.
very early spring flower Is the fra.
grant gilia with . flannel form, rotate
ssrolls divided Into five lobek. II Ia q
snall plant, . span - = foot high. with
delicate opposite and alternate leaves.
The oorells Is pale violet or lilac, often
with brown-purpts or yellowish in the
tube Of the funnel. The flowers are
small, no more than half an ineh in
diameter, hut they are the most fra.
grant OF all the early spring flowers
In some localities the gilias are known
under the name Of birds eyes"
Not 30 beautiful as the flowers al
ready mentioned, but more useful and
Tar more robust, IL the erodium. com
monty called alhleria, or pin-clover and
lpin-grasS. Ii Is al u~npretentious flower
small and insignificant, hut its brigh,
rose color makes il easily recognize BILE
IL In welcome on account Of its earl,
appearance N the spring. The leave,
are very nutritious and make an ex.
l~cellent forage for horses and cows
They impart . pleasant flavor 10 mill
and butter.
The wild hyscinth or CANVASS lcamas
sia esculenta) Of the order of l~iliaccs
grows very ~abundantly In the month,
Of March, April and May. II prefer,
noisty situation and is easily distin
,guished BY iN blue Or lilac flower,
growing h . single raceme. Tit
'lesyss aSe long and lissAy and th,
epyns or bulb, often a iash In dis me
Ter. TAess kVAhs are the delight a,
Ne children saA are also largely col
'lseted fer food - Va l.dians
AL. ILL.,