Milford chronicle., 1952-07-25
WOOdsman, Spare
That WildflOwer
BY CYNTHIA LOWRY
AP NeWsfeatures W~jfer

The forward march of civiliza-
ton has plenty to commend itself
Dut 1t sure is a subject for worry
Ior the conservationists.
Blrd-lovers have been fretting
LOT many years about the threat
ened extinction of a number of
species. Some, Of course, have been
dangerously reduced by mans COM
mercial interest in their plumage
others have been threatened bv the
conversion of their normal wooded
haunts into cities.
Inc same situation prevails in
the animal world. Bison, beaver.
species of deer, to mention lust q
1eW in the long list, put up a losing
light against hunters. Fortunately.
strict protective measures seem to
be increasing their numbers. But
other of our wild animals are being
showed into smaller areas and their
rood-hunting grounds decreased, as
our country becomes more closely
settled.
The conservatiOnists' battle to
protect our birds and animals has
been widely publicized-a situation
Whlch partly accounts for the sue
cess which has met efforts to pre-
vent extinction of many species.
But there's another, less publi-
cized area of wild life which should
receive some strict attention before
it's too late: our wild flowers.
Beyond the normal hazards of
plant life - disease, atmospheric
conditions and grazing animals
our wildflOwers are imperiled by
the development of cities, by mush- |
rOOming housing developments, and
by the increasing network of hard |
surfaced roads running over the
country.
These are perhaps the greatest
killers OF the flowers which spring |
up unbidden, delicate and beautiful, !
in our fields, woods and swamp
lands. After these come the unWit-
ting destrOyers of wild-flOwers:
the motorists, vacatiOnists and
others who glimpse the beauty of
the wildflOWer in its natural habit
at and can't resist the urge to stop
and pluck the blooms.
There are a few wildflOWer con-
societies. They are large
Iy responsible for the fact that in
many places today handsome flow
ering shrubs like dogwood and
laurel are protected.
Zone New England society has
such stringent protective rules for
its members that no arrangements
calling for dogwoOd-even the do
mesticated" type-are ever on it's
flower show scheduIe.)
1t seems irOnic that the destruc-
tive impulse of the casual passerby
is mOtivated by his love of the
wildflOwer. Undoubtedly if he knew
what he was doing, he would be
content merely to look.
AS a matter of fact, if anyone
asked me for a few suggestions on
how to keep our wildflOwers
blooming, Look, but don't touch.
would be the cardinal one.
Transplanting wildflowers from
their habitat to your cultivated
garden is a clancy thing, more
likely to result in the death of the II
plant than not, no matter how
much care is taken. It's almost i'm
possible to duplicate the conditions |
which made them flourish in the !
first place. Besides, most of us fail II
10 see the wildflower until it
blooms, and for most plants the
very worst time to transplant is II
when it is putting most of its effort
and strength into producing flow
ers and seeds.
Finally, before buying wildflower
plants, make certain that the plant
has been prOpagated by the seller.
Too often roadside sellers of wild
plants know little more about the
subject than the buyer, and the
buyer is unwittingly contributing
to the disappearance of some of our
better flowers.
A final rule-Of-thumb on picking I
It probably won't do
much damage to pick d few flowers
if they grow in such profusion that
It would be impossible to count
heir numbers. They wilt quickly, II
anyway, and are prettier as they
grow, so why bother?