Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-07-24
The VIVA FIowers Of Oxford County

II a graduating essay at Hebron Academy
The diversities Of soil and structure Z
Oxford County make 1t we'll fitted I
produce variety Of flowers. Her
grow hill flowers and valley flowers
flowers that cling to rocky lodges, o
those that adorn the broad, smoot
fields; flowers that seek the shad
woods and those that love the war;
sunshine; flowers that are mirrored i
and those that dip their heads in th
swift waters Of some mountain stream a
1t passes by. But everywhere, whereve
one turns, are flowers, from the frs
warm days in spring until the fros
comes in the fall.
1t is strange that the first flowers t,
come in the spring are 80 delicate AND
fragile that it seems as though breatl
of wind would break them. In fact, thu
dainty hepatica comes so early from tn,
land of ice and snow that 1t wears {
beautiful silvery fur coat. This II
closely followed by the waxen blossoms
of the pink Mayfower, or trailing
arbutus.
Usually by the first week in May, tn.
wild oats, trillium, both red and white
the yellow adder's tongue, the yellow
violets, a few white ones, and the small
er blue ones, are all out. Then in some
scattered places, preferably little
grassy clearing in the sandy soil of the
pine woods, are found, growing together,
the bloodroot, spring beauties, white OK.
heart and anemones.
Before these dainty visitors are gone,
the twisted stalk has appeared by the
roadside. From distance nothing can
be seen but green leaves, but on closer
inspection one sees delicate pink and
white bells hanging on the under side of
the long leaf. Resembling the twisted
stalk, and growing at the same time and
in the same places is the Solomon's
seal; the most noticeable difference is in
the tiny bells which are greenish white
and never fully open, and in the dull
blush cast of the leaves. The false
Solomon's seal that bears its blossoms in
feathery cluster at the end of the leaf
stalk, comes later.
About Memorial Day, when all the
fruit trees are fragrant with countless
white blossoms, and pink rhodora makes
bright patches in the brown pastures,
one can turn from all this glory to the
quiet of the woods, and find hidden
among the pale green fronds of the
ferns, new beauty in the foam flower and
the large long blue violet.
In late spring, almost every Doggy or
marshy place is peopled by Jack-in-the-
pulpits. So we'll do their green and
brown coats harmonic with other
leaves and the dark soil, that any one
usually tramples over any number with
out seeing them at all. The Jack-in-the-
pulpits have their staminate and pistil-
late flowers on separate plants growing
in widely separated places. While the
Man-Jacks are rather common, the Lady
Jacks are gathered together in some
sequestered spot like nuns in a convent.
l never have seen but one place where
they grow, that is on an island in the
middle of river. There were thousands
of the Lady-Jacks, all wearing pale green
gowns striped with white instead of
brown, and on that island there was not
one of the darker-colored Man-Jacks. 1t
suggested Ida's castle in Tennyson's
"Princess."
Although ever since the first of May
occasional dandelions may be seen in
the shelter Of some southern wall, it is
not until later that they reach their full
glory, and stud all grass plots with their
golden circles. They are fully as beauti-
full when, scattered through the rank
growth of daisies, clover and buttercups,
the round white globes of the dandelion
seeds appear like the ghosts of flowers.
In early June the messy carpet of the
woods is sprinkled with the pale pink
bells of the twin flower. always have
they must be the fairies we'd
ding bells. Another bit of childish
fancy was to put the pink and yellow
ladies' slippers on my doll when she was
dressed for a party.
The little bluet, or quaker lady, that
makes white patches on smooth green
pasture turf, is favorite flower, espe-
cially by children who love little things.
1t seems that nature likes to group
flowers that look well together in a
bouquet. Although 1 do not, believe in
picking too many flowers, it is real
pleasure to bring home bunch of white
star flowers and pink fringed polygala.
Other flowers that seem to belong to-
gether and truly do grow together are
the white waxy Labrador tea blossoms
and the light magenta sheep laurel.
As graceful and as decorative plant
as any that grows is the iris, or blue flag.
1t lends its charm to the landscape when,
erect and beautiful, it grows beside a
shallow pebbly brook that flows through
a green pasture beneath swaying white
birches.
Deep in the woods in the last of June,
the pink streaked wood-sorrel adorns
some messy bank beside spring, and
the fragrant pyrolas, both the one-f1ower-
ed and the shin-leaf, grow among the
pine.cones and needles.
In the first flush of June beauty when
leaves are greenest and "clouds are
highest up in air." some fields or
meadows are pink with pogonia and
winged arethusa. In damper meadows
another of the Orchis family, the delicate
white ladies' tresses, emits an almost
over towering fragrance. The most
beautiful one of the whole orchis family,
the purple fripged orchis, hides itself in
the middle of thick woods in rich, wet
soil, where the deep moss sinks beneath
the footsteps of any woOdlover who cares
to go to such place. Sometimes in the
same locality are the rarer but less at
tractive kinds, the Hooker's orchis, and
the round-leaved orchis.
During July, the shallower of Oxford
County's numerous ponds are white with
pond lilies. The edges of the ponds and
sandy shores of sluggish rivers are Dor
dered BY Cat tails and covered with blue
pickerel weed and the white arrow head
and water arum like miniature Gala
lilies. Beside the swifter streams the
cardinal flower stands out scarlet
against the deep blackness Of the water,
as striking to flower lovers as the scarlet
tanager fitting among the dark spruces
is to bird lovers.
There are two carnivorous plants that
have seen in Oxford County, the sun
dew and the pitcher plant. The sundew,
which lives deep down in the tall meadow
grass, has round leaves covered with
short stiff hairs, each topped by drop
of sweet sticky fluid to attract and catch
the flies. The pitcher plant, which
grows in almost bOttomless boys, has
leaves shaped like pitchers and partly
filled with liquid which browns the in
sects and dissolves them into form in
which they can be absorbed by the
plants. There are stiff hairs pointing
downward forming line of little bayo.
nets around the top of the leaf.
There is one kind Of flower that lives
a gypsy life, the blue gentian. One year
clump of blue gentians will be encamp
ed in a meadow, the next year there will
not be one in that place, but they appear
| in an altogether new spot. Thus they