Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-26
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
PARK OF MANY FLOWERS


Abundant SHOWS on the higher
levels of Yosemite National Park
have brought a bumper crop of
flowers this season.
Attention Is called to this fact by
the announcement that special pro-
vision has been made for the pro-
lection of the lavish display from
depredations of the thoughtless
visitor.
"Yosemite's topography. with
thousands of feet difference in alti-
tude in places within hailing dis
lance of each other, makes it pos
sible for the visitor to enjoy flowers
of several seasons in a single visit"
ton, d. c., headquarters OF the Ma
tional Geographic Society.
Climb Spins Floral Calendar
Leaving the rich San Joaquin
Valley at MERGED for the beautiful
trip by train through the Canyon OF
the MERGED river, SCARED by the
gold diggings of '49, the traveller
turns his floral calendar backward
with each mile Of climbing into the
Sierra Nevada. passing rapidly from
full summer to late spring at Ell
Portal. where the official gateway
to Yosemite National Park is locat-
ed. A few miles farther. at the
Gates of the Valley-that famous
spot where Ell CAPTAIN stands on the
left, Three Graces and Bridalveil
Falls or the right, with a vista of
Yosemite Valley 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 1884 feet higher. will be out
skiing and tobogganing on four feet
of snow.
by the time summer gets to
Yosemite Valley 1t is springtime at
Glacier Point and when summer
gets to the Point, the Sierra is en-
Joying the brief season which pass
es there for both spring and sum-
mer, and Yosemite Valley has pro-
crossed well toward autumn.
Snowplant is a Park Wonder
Mos interesting of all plants to
the visitor is the snowplant-and no
other is SO jealousy guarded by the
park authorities. When word OF q
new stalk is received, a sign is dis |
patched hastily and erected near 1t |
hands off! In it's early stages the
.snowplant is more like a scarlet |
asparagus tip than anything else. |
AS it natures, the leaves near the
upper end unfold and reveal bells
like those Of a hyacinth. The
name snowplant Is misleading, ac-
cording to such a high authority as
Jepson, who says the plant has
nothing to do with snow, and that
the name probably originated be-
cause it appears early in spring and
is likely to be caught in a late
furry, which makes the richness of
its coloring all the more conspicu-
Gus, causing the uniformed to
think that the plant pushed its way
through the new snow.
Contrary to the common as
sumption, the snow plant is not a
parasite, but lives on decaying veg
etable matter absorbed through in
.tricately laced white fibers which
serve the plant in place of roots.
1t is unique in that the food abb
sorbed is at once transmitted into
The scarlet stalk and leaves. differ
Ing from other plants which are
chemical laboratories, de-
manding chlorophyl to assist them
in digesting their daily meal.
Bloom as Ice Melts
There probably r more than
1000 different species of Towering
mite. Some of them, like the marsh
buttercup, seem to bud beneath the
now and then burst into bloom as
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
patient botanist in a few hours can
see the buttercups unfolding into
full blossom. This undoubtedly is
due to environment, nature having
taught the flowers Of the high alti-
tudes to adapt themselves to the
brief season Of warmth"