Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-05-05

slips back into dowdiness for yet an
other day. During these two nights
the flower has been busy shedding its
yellow pollen dust for the benefit Of its
neighbors, and SO far has done nothing
to benefit itself; but on the one night
yet left to it is pushes out three little
columns to catch the yellow S that
some insect visitor may bring from q
one or two-night-old flower, and, with
a little luck, it receives the magic
touch which fertilizes its seeds. and
enables it 10 transmit descendants to
posterity. And now it's work is fin
ished, and al day dawn it closes for
the lase time and fades away and dies.
All the worlds a stage, even in plant
life.
But none OF the flowers vet men
toned a compete in beauty with
the queen of the night, a cactus that
flowers at night time OF the plains OF
Mexico. This has a magnificent yell
low and white bloom, and it stands out
bravely, eve brilliantly, from the black
earth and the dark green spines which
form the background. But its glory
is short lived, for despite the fact that
ii is often eight inches across and has
more han a hundred petals, its life is
no sooner begun than it is ended. 1t
never sees the light, for, though it may
not open until 10 O'Clock at night, it's
career is finished -four or five hours
later, in the small hours OF the morn
ing.
After the Night Moths.
Now, when we come to ask why GER
tain plants choose the darkness rather
than the light to bring out their flow
ers, we must answer that 1t is because
they Ia preferred 10 make a bid for
the attentions of the night moths and
the night flies rather than for the
more keenly contested visits OF the
bees and butterflies of the day. BY
some means or other they must get
their nollen carried from flower TO ae@-
or, n they have found that the night
insects are quite as capable in this way
as the day ones are, and have not near
ly so many claims upon them. But be-
cause the darkness is apt To swallow
UP the plants the night flowers make a
great point OF their scene, and the
strong, sweet fragrance is an unfailing
~telltale of their presence, no matter
how black the night. Curiously enough
the manage TO turn off, the scent in
the daytime. so that it is not wasted,
for q plant IS nothing il not economical.
Further, TO make as much of their
presence as possible, these flowers are
almost invariably white or pale yell
low In color, and so in the dusk they
are strikingly obvious long after barker
and more gorgeous hued flowers have
disappeared from sight. Through the
night they are generally visible 10 some
extent, even to us. and doubtless to- the
njght-fiying insects. whose organs of
sight are specially adapted TO the dark
ness, they stand out still more plainly.
Almost the only dark colored night
flower we know is the common hesperls,
or DANES violet, ~but--though the even
ing quickly obliterates It's dark purple
blossoms, as il does all deep-hued flow
ers-lack of brilliancy is made up for
by strength of fragrance, for its scent
is SO peculiarly strong that its presence
cannot but be revealed. Observation
shows that il gets it's full share Of WISH
tors among the moths, and hence,
though 1t makes no bid to attract
through the agency, of sight, its appeal
Is made land not made in vain) through
the organ OF smell.
One other fact about these plants is
interesting. On the petals of the night
flowers we never find those markings,
streaks and lines which usually EN-
bellish ordinary flowers and are so evil
dent in pansies, mallows and wallow-
ers. These markings are known as
'pathfinders,y n they are presunl-
ably placed there 20 serve as guides to
Insects in their search for honey, as
they always point TO the heart Of the
blossom. But they would he OF nc
earthly use IN the night time, as they
could not be seen: hence in night fow-
ers they are not produced and the
petals how only an unbroken white or
yellow face. Thus in the flowers OF the
night we have yet one more instance OF
natures wonderful and absolute adapt
ability OF structure 10 environment.