Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-05-24


| "vilet" turks. 70 the initiated, how
ever the name violet does not mean a
single species. for there are many
kinds. The most abundant blue one
! viola palmata) has heart-shaped
leaves, which are arrow-sAaQed in a
less common sort viola sagittata),
While yet a third viola pedataD, the
bird-foot violet. has leaves cut up
| INTO segments SO that they somewhat
/ resemble the spread toes of birds
| foot, as the name implies The bios
SONS Of this last are large, light blue
with yellow eye, and they possess a
faint delicious odor that makes the
species more precious than its broth
ers, scince most of our wild species
are unlike those of the English, en-
tirely scentless.
OF white yiolets there are several
kinds, but they are seldom seen about
Madison. In all the varieties of vio-
let's just mentioned blossoms and
leaves are solitary on separate stems,
but in the rarer dog-yiolet, which has
! FAINT blue flowers, both are arranged
1 together on the same erects talk.
But the the most splendid citizen of
yioletdom is the velvet-head 1t much
resembles the bird-foot violet, Of
wlich it is a variety, save that the
two upper petals are colored most
glorious, deep, velvety shade Of pur-
pie Surely no prettier native flow
er grows than this, and it would be
hard to find more charming sight
than colony of the species in full
regalia, all the violet faces turned
in the same direction, and each a per-
feet symphony of light blue and pur-
pie and gold Nature always chooses
her shades well, but in this case she
| has excelled herself
Then also can be seen the common
cinque-fril little herb with creep
ing shoots, whose smiling, yellow
flowers and fye-fngered leaves every
one is acquainted with, is ordinarily
known as wild strawberry"
| that it really ever bears such fruit,
but possibly because of the resemb
! lance in form of its flowers to those
of the true berry plant. The genuine
| strawberry blossoms are white with
golden centers, and the leaves are
| three-p parted like those of clover, only
much larger, of softer texture and
toothed at he edges, 1t Aourishes in
rather moist open places and the
| scarlet berries mature in June.
| The Mayapple or mandrake, also
has its habitat in wet SOIL and a
luXuriant and closely growing bed of
it is a familiar sight at this season of
| the year. The species is called UNI
! brela-plant by cal dren because of the
! broad terminal leaves that spread like
| green umbrellas over the white, waXy,
curiously scented bloom that dwells
! beneath. The seeds that come later,
| incased in a fleshy pod form the May
apple proper, which is supposed to
| have all sorts of medicinal qualities
! and which little boys sometimes eat
| for the perfumed, sickeningswe
taste that makes more fastidious peO-
pie reject IT, Another children's ia
yorite is the wild geranum, or
cranes-bill, hardly a May banquet
that does not bear its quota of this
herbs pinky blossoms. 1t is the most
abundant Of the few native geraniums,
and II fully upholds the familys rep
utaton for beauty
Not behind in charming prettiness
is the blue-eyed grass that peeps shy
ly out from every moist meadow SPOT,
The delicate, widespread, dark-blue
flowers bear certain look Of inno
cence and timidity that well becomes
them. Plants have characters. just
as do more seusate things and one
can well imagine that were the but
tercup suddenly humanized there
wauld come forth in the metamorpho-
sis a busy laughing CHEEKY little
girl. from the daisy a maiden and
from the dandeliOn a sturdy plodder,
rather duh, but very good-natured
aud light-hearted. SO the blue-eyed
grass is innocent; and the star-grass,
that fecks the carpet of the open
woods with tiny dots of brilliant yell
low may he th0upht Of as the least /