Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-06-03
SOME OF OUR WILD FLOW
Frs AND THEIR HAUNTS.
BY MISS SADIE R. sPIER.


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This Spring when all the plants
had awakened from their long Win
ter sleep and the woods were green
and verdant, we went on three or
four trips to the woods in search of
flowers. With our trowels and bas-
kets, some on wheels and others in
carriages, we started for Herman
Park. Much to our disappointment
we discovered that the woods around
the Park had been burned out, but
nevertheless we found some flowers.
The yellow jasmine was climbing
over the burnt stumps, and the large
bushes of the snowy June-berry were
growing here and there through the
woods. Large beds of the iris grow
here in great abundance, but we only
found a few. This trip was not very
successful, as we went a little too
early to get flowers that we expected
| to find.
A few weeks later we attempted a
trip to Stony Creek. The surround
ings here were quite different from
Herman Park. On the other side of
Stony Greek is a ridge. Climbing
this ridge we turned into a disused
road and found a little stream.
Over this was an old broken down
bridge which was once a part of a
distillery. On the banks of this
curving stream we found ferns and
handsome jacks-in-the-pulpit. We
followed up this stream until we
found perfect beds of them. They
grow about foot tall and the flow
er, which is the same shape as the
Gala Lily, is under the large leaf.
We found two kinds, one was pur-
pie and the other a pale green. The
whole woods was very fertile and
sloped down to the creek. On this
slope was the graceful Solomon's
Seal, with it's greenish white bells
hanging in a row down the under
side of the leaves. This plant has a
very interesting rootstock. It is
long and straight and each years
growth is shown by a scar resemb-
ling a seal on the side of the root
stock, from which the name of the
plant originated. We pulled up a
roototock with nine seals on it. Near
the Solomon's Seal we found the In
dian Cucumber Root, a beautiful lit
tie plant with two whorls of leaves,
and under the upper whorl were a
few delicate yellow flowers. We
also found here a few Ladies' Slip
pers and a species of Orchis. The
Orchis bears a close relationship to
the wonderful Orchids, which are
highly priced and cultivated for their
beauty. We know of five species of
Orchis growing around here; the
Ladies' Slipper. the Pogonia. the
Yelled Nun, the Ladies' Tresses and
the Fringed Orchis. This family
has a more interesting fertilization
than any other order of flowers.
The Ladies Slipper, for instance, has
a pink bagar sac shaped petal. AS
the bee goes to the flower after buzz
zing around, he sees the opening at
the end Of the bag. He enters the
secreted among the hairs on the in
side. After he has enough nectar
he tries to get out but cannot return
the way he entered, as this opening
closes after him. The two openings
on each side of the top of the a
attracts him. AS he crawls forward
to these the bag gets smaller. AS
he goes through the narrow passages
his head brushes against the fiat
stigma, and here the pollen brought
from another flower is deposited.
Pushing his way further out he
scrapes against the anther which is in
his way, and which pl~asters his head
with yellow pollen. Often you will
lind the bag torn where the bee not
knowing the way out, forces himself
out by biting the bag.
The Pagonia is also fortified by a
bee, but in a different It
has a crested petal down which the
bee steps in search of honey at the
base of the flower. On going down
the flower his back brushes against
the flat stigma on which he deposits
the pollen that he has carried from
another flower. When the bee backs
out he knocks the anther up off of
it's hinge and the pollen flies out on
his head. The trailing arbutus is a
great favorite every where, as it is /
of the first Spring flowers. This
dainty flower grows sparingly around
Goldsboro.
A more familiar flower with every
one is the Mountain Laurel, which |
grows in great profusion on the
banks of the river at Hooks Bridge.
This flower is chiefly valued for its
beauty, but a close observer will find
it more attractive on account of its
The stamens of this
flower are elastic and the anther of
each is fastened in a small pouch in
the side of the Corolla. When the
bee buzzing around the bushes in
search of nectar, touches the Corolla
with his foot the stamens fly sud-
denly up and the pollen is thrown
out through a hole in the top of the
anther. There are a great many
other flowers that are just as inter-
and attractive, but I have said
enough to show that.
"a primrose by the rivers brim''
not to us "a yellow primrose and
nothing more"
"Dead Stuck' kills Reaches, ants
moths and bedbugs. Non-poisonous,
&c,