The silver lance., 1899-06-02
A wild Flower Reservation.


From the city to the country my
father moved his family while l was
still a little girl, and l can yet recall
the thrill of delight with which l made
the change. The town that received us
was one of the Oldest In Illinois, and
was reckoned thrifty commun-
ity, but there were many bits or
prairie and woodland round about 1t
that had never felt the plow, where
wild flowers rioted in unrestrained
luxuriance. With child'S acquisi-
tiveness l longed to carry home with
me all the treasures discovered in my
wanderings in woods and fields. Under
many a basket heavy with fern roots
and other forest spoils, have l stagger-
ed for miles across rough country, ig-
noring the remonstrance of strained
and aching muscles. sure that the Joy
Of having a bit of forest in the back
yard would recompense the toll. In
the face Of warnings that these Wild
ings would never adapt themselves to
civilized conditions, they were planted
and today the remnant of that wild
garden sturdily holds its own in the
thick turf of an old orchard.
One OF the most satisfactory of these
adopted floral children has proved to
be the bluebell common to Illinois
woods. In its struggles to hold It's
own in the turf it has grown rugged
and self-reliant and has succeeded in
establishing a flourishing colony.
How lovely! Where did you get it?'
friend exclaimed last spring when we
stumbled upon blue drift Of it bios
soming beneath an old pear tree. The
violet. buttercup, wild geranium ana
lavender colored wood phlox are also
faithful tenants that can always be de-
pended upon to show their faces when
spring appears.
All the commoner perennials native
to our meadows, but fast disappearing
before the plowshare, will bear trans
planting and thrive under cultivation.
One of the handsomest OF these is the
| Shooting Star (Dodecatheon), which
| sports from white t. delicate shades OF
pink and lavender. Another valua-
BILE addition to any garden is the Wild
Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis).
While the Columbine in a variety Of
colors is for sale by all seedsmen and
dealers in plants. the wild varieties
show an elegance OF shape and an airy
quality that has been lost to the culti-
waited species, many of which have
been improved CD by the doubling OF
their spurs until they bear only a
clumsy resemblance to their beautiful
ancestors.
In this connection one cannot avoid
being impressed with the claims made
by this citizen OF the wilderness for
enthronement as the national flower of
the United States. First, its color.
which runs through red, white and
blue; then its common name, "Colum-
bine," suggesting an inhabitant OF Co
lumbia, and its Latin designation,
"Aquilegia.' signifying eagle. The
very formation of the fower-its five
golden lined leaves Of p lenty in which
nectar is conserved-is suggestive Of
wealth and prosperity. When we re-
member that it is a native of the
mountain as well as OF the plain. and
that on the Rockies the heightened
horns Of plenty set in white and gold,
take on a spiritual blue that suggests
the robe of the Madonna or the auro
of an angel, what more could we ask
for in the way Of a floral symbol of
all the things that make a nation
great?
There is no reason why any country
home should be without flowers when
these wanderers are seeking a refuge
and will bloom amid neglect year after
year IL only given a foothold. Like
the Indian they are fading away before
civilization. and II we would keep alive
their mute traditions Of early days and
save our native fora from complete
destruction, we must give them reser-
vations where they can live unmo-
/ lacfad