Evening star., 1901-09-14
Their Glories Grow as the Autumn
Days Shorten.
AS seen BY THE LOVER OF NATURE
Blooming Along the Brooks in the
Woodland.
A RIOT OF COLOR AND FORM


soma distinctly autumnal tendency. The
broad fields of tasseled corn are softened
by an October-Iike mist of morning and
grass and weeds are heavy with moisture.
The Moons may be fervid, but the morn
ings and evenings are temperate, and the
nights are occasionally so cold as to sug-
gest the thought of a hearth fire for added
warmth. Hints of the approaching meta
morphosis of the forest may be seen in the
bright cOors appearing in sumac, sassa-
fras. tulip tree and sour gum, and the foli-
age of field and wood. which has been
steadily increasing since January, is now
at its flood.
Very conspicuous and attractive are the
morning glories that twine about corn
stalk, bean-pole and the stems of tall
weeds. weave in and out in recumbent
beds, uplifting always to the morning sun
their delicate and yari-colored blossoms
dainty and fragile and so pure in color.
Blue. pink and purple, the show in pro-
fusion, while occasionally tiny trumpetS of
bright orange-scarlet may be met with.
Nature offers no fairer bloom than this
glory of the morning of early fall. and
there is scarcely one with which she Is
more lavish. Everywhere about the coun-
try dwelling. clambering over the low walls,
making bower of beauty of the rubbish
pile surmounting the pailing fence, seiz-
ing upon every available vantage point in
the kitchen garden, and rambling all over
the outlying fields. it imparts grace to
every spot it touches and seems to teach
continually the lesson that true purity and
refinement are unblemished by surround
ings no matter how sordid or commonplace.
The delicacy of the morning glory is the
more noticeable at this time because the
season is one of rank weedy growth. EX-
cepting the dainty little blue curls now
scattered in profusion about the dry mead
oWS, and the curious and attractive Sprais
OF the ladies tresses that rise at rare in
teryals amid the variegated mat of the
neldS, there is scarcely plant that is not
coarse and weed-lke in habit.
Sturdy Corn Stalks.
The corn that covers SO much of the
land is typical of the vegetation of this
period Sturdy, vigorous. unyieldng, it is
diametrically opposite in character to the
products of the vernal season. Yet 1t has
its own peculiar charm. and one can read
Iy understand that it should be cultivated
in another part of the world as a purely
ornamental plant. Proudly erect, with
waving plumes. it's bayonet- shaped leaves
cleaning in the sunlight, rank after rank
1t stands, like a martial host on parade
a truly inspiring picture. And later In the
month, when it is cut and stacked SYM
metricaiiy about the field. the military
suggestion is still present and the land
scape effect is even more picturesque.
Wilderness In Bloom.
As the rambler passes down the hill into
the marshy place beside the meadow brook
the tide rises. from ankle to knee, then to
waist and shoulder and finally submerges
him entirely. And what profusions of
bloom invite the eye during that down.
ward journey! Spots of pink and chocolate
lnnumerable, contributed by the kidney
bean; the iace-iike white of the wild car
rot still blooming, though not SO profuse-
~ as In July and August: the deep blue of
the great lobelia, the auriferous CLEAN of
the Maryland golden star, the added gold
or Sneezeweed, crownbeard and wild sun
flowers of various kinds And as the depth
becomes greater the rose-purple of the
lronWeed and the shadowy white of the
boneset. above which rise the stately pur-
pilsh pink domes of the Joe-Pye weed
surmountIng the tiers of leaves that en-
circle the heavy stalk at regular intervals
ana form a supporting column.
From Flower to Flower.
AS we enter the woods that in a few
weeks are to become enchanted bowers we
find multitudes of low plants with woody
and divergent branches bearing pointed
leaves in pairs, and at and near the end
showing small, feathery tufts of lavender
bloom. This Is the dittany, a member of
the mint family, as the fragrance of flower
ana foliage suggest. Here and there we
see little dots of pink that tell that the
TICK uefoh has not yet entirely passed to
that stage which the latter part of the
month Will bring when Ii makes each pass
er-by the unwilling means by which II Sc
cures the widespread dissemination of the
triangular packets in which it's descendants
are Stored These are obvious to our gaze
ami perhaps various bush-cloyerS eupatori-
uns cousins of the boneseD and MARY
iand golden stars, as we'll. Nor should II
De difhcult for us to find a hillside bright
with with the rigid purplish plumes of the gay
leather But TO discover the rarer treas
ures that the woods of September hold we
must make more careful search The in
conspicuous coral root, another orchid of
the season, which may easily be overlooked
Is OF little esthetic value when found; but
when, as may rarely happen we come upon
the pure deep blue of the aconite with the
large quantity shaped blossom that has
gwen IL Its other name of monkshood: or
when. in some low, damp corner our ewes
are refreshed with the brilliant red of the
cardinal flower, the most beautiful of the
LoDellas, we are well rewarded for TIE
patience thdt may have been necessary to
successful search. Still less likely are we
TO encounter the large handsome blue fIow
ers ot the closed gentian. which never ex-
pose To the world the secrets of fructfaca
tlon they guard within their unopen,d
gates. But should we have the rare good
fortune TO discover the retreats of all three
OF these retiring hermits we may feel that
We have been indeed blessed for these are
among the most beautiful of our wild fIow-
erS.
The Indian Pipes.
scarcely less attractive. and less elusive
TO the seeker, are the quaint clusters OF
indian pipes. that erect their feshy white.
or rarely pink, or red-tinged stalks, leaves
and howers somewhat more freely lust
now, perhaps because of the presence OF
the Indian tobacco in the field Pipes they
are only during certain stages of their
Inushroom-iike growth, for the bowls grad
ualiy make a more and more obtuse angle
with the upright stalks until they are but
nnf ffntI tfI,,
Another plant reminiscent OF the hardy
race that has been driven toward the set
ting sun by our so-called civilization fofren
the name for another kind OF sayagery) is
the arrowhead, whose large sagittate leaves
and stalks OF white-petaled blooms love
wet places. So partial to water are they
that often they stand where their feet are
constantly loved by the brooks they or
nament, Near them the well-named turtle
heads often upiift their punches of creamy
flowers.
The Clean of Gold.
As the month advances these scenes
change. until by the time we are well on
toward October the golden rod has seized
upon most Of the open land and has IN
vaded the less dense woodland. Joe-Pye
weed, iron weed, boneset and most OF the
rest of the sturdy throng that so conspic-
uously marked the course of the level