South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-19
YOSEMITE VISITORS
ENJOY FLOWERS OF
SEVERAL SEASONS
Parks Topography Makes Pos.
sible Big Variety Shows
Cause Bumper Crop.

1 WASHINGTON. June Is.-Abund-
ant SHOWS on the higher levels OF the
T Yosemite National park have brought
a bumper crop OF flowers this sea
son.
Attention is called 20 this fact by
the announcement that special 1ro-
vision has been made for the protec-
ton Of the lavish display from depre-
/ dations Of the thoughtless visitor.
"Yosemite's topography. with thou
sands Of feet difference in altitude In
places within hailing distance Of each
other. makes IL possible for the visi-
/ tor 10 enjoy flowers Of several sea
sons in a single visit" says bulletin
from Washington. d. c., headquar-
tiers OF the National Geographic So
ciety.
Climb Spins Floral Calendar.
Leaving the rich san Joaquin val
ley at MERGED for the beautiful trip
| by train through the canyon Of the
MERGED river. SCARED by the gold
diggings OF az. the traveller turns his
floral calendar backward with each
mile OF climbing into the Sierra Ne
vada. passing rapidly from full sum-
mer 70 late spring at FL Portal.
where the official gateway 10 Yose-
mite National park is located. A few
miles farther. at the Gates OF the
Valley-that famous spot where FL
/ Captain stands on the left, Three
Graces and Bridalveil Falls on the
right, with a vista OF Yosemite val
ley between-he finds spring In full
glory.
And on the same day, visitors to
! Glacier point Just upstairs from
Yosemite valley. on the rim Of the
granite wall enclosing the valley and
3.254 feet higher, will be out skiing
and tobogganing on four feet of
snow.
by the time summer gets 10 Yose-
mite valley. il is springtime at Gla-
cier point and when summer gets TO
the point. the Sierra is enjoying a
brief season which passes there for
/ both spring and summer. and Yose-
mite valley has progressed well
towards autumn.
Snowplant Is Park Wonder.
Most interesting Of all plants 10
I the visitor is the snowplant-and no
other is so jealousy guarded by the
park authorities When word OF a
new stalk is received, sign is dis
patched hastily and erected near II
hands OF. In its early stages the
snow plant Is more like a scarlet as
paragus tip than anything else. AS
it natures, the leaves near the upper
\ end unfold and reveal bells much like
those of a hyacinth. The name
snowplant is misleading. according
TO such a high authority as Jepson,
who says the plant has nothing 10
| do with snow, and that the name
probably originated because II ap-
/ pears early in spring and il likely 70
/ be caught in a late furry, which
makes the richness of its coloring all
| the more conspicuous, causing the
uniformed 10 think that the plant
pushed its way through the new
snow.
Contrary TO the common assump-
ton. the snowplant is not a parasite,
but lives on decaying vegetable mat
ter absorbed through intricately laced
white fibers which serve the plant in
place of roots II is unique in that
/ the food absorbed is at>once trans
muted into the scarlet stalk and
| leaves. differing from other plants
which are veritable chemical labor
atories, demanding chlorophyl 10 as
sist them in digesting their daily
meal
Bloom As Ice MeltS
There probably are more than
/ 900 different species of Towering
plants. shrubs and trees in YOse-
mite. Some Of them. like the mash
buttercup. seem 10 bud beneath the
snow and then burst into bloom as
soon as the icy covering melts. On
/ the high levels Of the park a thin
patch OF snow will disappear under
! the influence OF a hot sun and the
I patient botanist in a few hours can
see buttercups unfolding into full
- ~ ~