The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-12
Early Blooms Are N Constant Source
of Delight to All the Children
of the City.
WILD FLOWERS AT FAIRvIEw
THAT SPOT Is NOW A MECCA FOR
YOUTHFUL BOTANIsTs.
Near Broad Ripple wild Flowers Bios
som Earlier Than Anywhere
I'm This Vicinity.
ling me a song of the Spring. of the springl

Il
Take your harp. minstrel. and twans ev'ry
And sing me a song OF the Spring of the Spring!
All children love flowers and delight in
gathering them, no matter whether they
are the blooms on the clover or the sunny
faced dandelions or the malodorous white
flowers of the 'jimson weed" that thrives
so irrepressibly in all of the vacant lots
of the city. But the greatest joy for the
young fiower-gatherer comes with the first
wild flowers Of the early spring. After the
long winter of snow and ice and cold winds
Ii Is indeed delightful TO go out into the
woods and hunt the first blossoms where
they are just beginning to peep above the
brown leaves left over from the somber
autumn.
In all of the large parks on the outskirts
of indianapolis these wild flowers are now
10 be found, and many children were to be
seen during the bright warm afternoons Of
last week busily engaged in filling little
baskets with the first sweet blossoms of the
glad springtime. Some parents will not al
low their children to go out into the woods
during these early spring days. under the
impression that such excursions are I'M
healthful at this time of the year. but these
too cautious "grown-ups" would be sur
prised TO find that i'm the shelter of the trees
and rolling hills the cold winds that are
so noticeable in the city are entirely cut
OF and to find that the brisk exercise of
walking and climbing, and oftentimes
stumbling among the tangled roots and
underbrush. makes the whole body warm
and glowing. Some people hold that 1t is
cruel to pluck the wild flowers, but IL care
Is taken not to pull up the roots-and the
wild-fower gatherer must not go about
plucking the blooms too roughly, as the
roots come out of the soft wood mold with
surprising ease--there is no more cruelty in
gathering the blossoms than in gathering
the fruit of the orchards.
INTEREST IN FLOWERS.
Children always take a greater interest In
flowers when they know the names of the
various plants and some little history about
them. The scientific Latin names, difficult
of pronunciation. need never be drilled into
their memories, but the simple provincial
names, easy to remember. should be taught
them. AS far back as the first week in
March the bloodroot was TO be found north
OF the city, beyond Broad Ripple, in some
of the more sheltered hooks. and also oc-
casional beds of the hepatica-a wild flower
fast disappearing from this part Of the
country-were discovered by the early
searchers for spring blooms. This last
named plant is sometimes called youth
and old age" for the flowers open in the
midst Of cluInp Of leathery leaves wear
ing autumnal tints of brown and purple,
and these leaves remain throughout the
winter. to be replaced by a new set which
makes its appearance after the blossom
ing time In the spring. The flower Is either
white or a very pale shade of purple, blue
or pink. and Is one of the very first of the
spring blossoms.
The bloodroots are most always to be
found In large quantities about Indianap-
oils during the first warm days of March.
especially In the sheltered nonks between
the little rolling hills at Fairview. They
grow under the trees on the warm sides of
the slopes. thrusting their clear white faces
up through the dead autumn leaves. The
bloodroot opens wide its four petals in the
morning sunshine, and gradually closes
them until by nightfall they are shut tight
~. 1t has no fragrance at all-not even a
woody" odor. and when plucked II leaves
a reddish-brown stain on the finger-hence
the name OF "blood-root" No matter how
faded the flower may become in being car
ried home from its birthplace, ii will re-
vive at once when placed in water and will
open its little petals and close them at
night for two or three days after it has
been taken from it's home in the woodland.
The sheltered hollows east of the canal at
Fairview have been white with these beau
tifu flowers for the last two weeks and
many children have enjoyed merry times
gathering them to take home in baskets.
FLOWERS AT FAIRVIEw
AT Fairview also may be found. now that
the spring is somewhat advanced. feath-
cry white and brown flower. growing out of
the soft earth, called by the children pep
per and salt" and otherwise known as the
Turkish pea" This park is the best near
the city for gathering wild flowers on ac-
count of the many warm hollows protected
by the tall trees. The Spring Beauties. del
icate pink flowers whose buds are nut
brown and quite as pretty as the open
blossom, TO be found growing near the
trunks OF the trees in the open woods and
the shy wood anemone may also be discov-
cred In some of the cozy little hooks. The
anemone's tender stalk is surrounded by
several three-toothed leaves about midway
between the root and the single white.
dropping blossom. 1t is often called the
wind flower" as IL derives it's name from
the Greek word meaning wind 1t blooms
while the high winds of the spring are
still blowing and although sturdy enough
to resist the winds. it fades almost i'm
mediately upon being plucked, and cannot
be made to revive. so IL does seem cruel and
useless to gather these tender flowers
Another wild flower found during the last
week. and which will doubtless be growing
in greater numbers during the next fort
night II the rue anemone. which is much
more common in Indiana than the wind
flower" IL does not hang it's head and the
blossoms are born I'm clusters OF three or
more. The eyer-beautiful violets are lust
beginning to appear now at Fairview, and
there II no other place near the city where
they are plentiful The first vlolets OF
the season are Of pale blue with very short
stems. but as the season grows older they
become a deeper blue and have much longer
stems The white and yellow violets can
not compare with the blue flowers in any