LIBRA RY 
 
 OF THE 
 
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 or 1 LLl NOli 
 
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 ijiiniui'i iininnT jynii f 
 llLINOiS BIsfK{ SMEY
 
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 f(LD FLOWERS 
 
 By JOHN {/OSS ar»c( 
 {//RGfNfA S. etfERT 
 
 STAT£ MUS£UM 
 
 Soil 
 
 tenet 09rtt,s 
 
 yoLM
 
 STATE OF ILLINOIS 
 
 William G. StRATTON, Governor 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION 
 Vera M. BiNKS, Director 
 
 ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM 
 THORNE Deuel, Museum Director 
 
 POPULAR SCIENCE SERIES, VOLUME III 
 
 ILLINOIS WILD FLOWERS 
 
 By 
 
 John Voss 
 
 and 
 
 Virginia S. Eifert 
 
 PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS 
 
 Springfield, Illinois 
 
 First Printing, 195 1 
 Second Printing. 1960 (revised)
 
 Ty/ 
 
 mo 
 
 BOARD OF 
 ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM ADVISORS 
 
 M. M. Leighton, Ph.D.. D.Sc. Chairman 
 Illinois Geological Survey. Urbana 
 
 N. W. McGee. Ph.D. 
 North Central College, 
 Naperville 
 
 Sol Tax, Ph.D.. Secretary 
 University of Chicago. 
 Chicago 
 
 Everett P. Coleman, M.D. 
 The Coleman Clinic, 
 Canton 
 
 Percival Robertson, Ph.D., 
 LL.D. 
 The Principia College, Elsah 
 
 POPULAR SCIENCE SERIES 
 
 Vol. I Leaves and Stems from Fossil Forests. 
 
 By Raymond E. Janssen. 2nd printing. 1957. Paper 
 covers. $2.50. 
 
 Vol. II Birds in Your Back Yard. 
 
 By Virginia S. Eifert. 2nd edition. 1946. Cloth covers. 
 
 $1.00. 
 
 Vol. Ill Illinois Wild Flowers. 
 
 By John Voss and Virginia S. Eifert. 2nd printing. 
 1960. Paper covers. 
 
 Vol. IV Distributional Check List of the Birds of Illinois. 
 
 By Harry R. Smith and Paul W. Parmalee. 1955. 
 Paper covers. $ .25. 
 
 Vol. V Reptiles of Illinois. 
 
 By Paul W. Parmalee. 1955. Paper covers. $ .50. 
 
 •7 
 
 (20794— IVl'M— 7-60)
 
 FOREWORD 
 
 John Voss died in his native city of Peoria at the age of 53, leaving 
 these photographs of native wild flowers of Illinois as a legacy to the 
 lovers of the out-of-doors throughout the state. He was a thoroughly 
 trained plant ecologist and he carried his scientific knowledge into the 
 woodlands and prairies where the wild flowers grew, liy his skill as a 
 photographer he brought back from the forest and the lields the beauties 
 of nature. His collection of floral portraits was inconiplcte when illness 
 and death came to close his activities. 
 
 (.Ikouue D. Fuller
 
 John Voss, Ph.D. 
 1895-1948
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 ILLINOIS WILD FLOWERS is a representative, though not com- 
 plete, collection of photographs of our native wild flowers, most of which 
 wore made by Doctor John \'oss. They are arranged according to sea son, 
 beginning with the opening of the earliest flowers in the year — a period 
 \\ hicli may be winter one day and spring the next, yet is neither. Then 
 come the abundant flowers of the spring woods and swamps. This is the 
 first peak of abundant bloom; during the blossoming season there are 
 several such peaks. By early June there is a waning. The early flowers 
 are past; they are making seeds, storing food in roots and bulbs; the 
 leaves in many are turning yellow. By June, flowers are coming to fields 
 and roadsides and there are few or none to be found in woods where 
 shade is deep. 
 
 During the summer, the majority of flowers bloom in the broad 
 and sunny places. The saiidy wastes, the swamps, the uplands, the fields, 
 the roadsides, all have flowers. A peak of bloom comes in mid-summer, 
 then it wanes, then rises to a climax in late August and Septeml)er when 
 the flowers of the prairie roadsides are at their best. The forests now 
 have their second great burst of bloom as the woodland goldenrods, asters, 
 snakeroots, Joe-pye weed, bellflower, and many others blossom. Then the 
 season wanes, yet blossoming does not entirely cease until the weather 
 is below freezing. The un(|uenchable chickweed may be found in bloom 
 at any month in the year. The witch hazel blooms in September, October, 
 and Novenfl)er as the last spectacular flower of the year. 
 
 The flowers which are found from one end of Illinois to the other 
 cover a distance of about four hundred miles. This stretch of latitude is 
 equivalent to that lying between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and 
 Portsmouth, Virginia, and the plants vary almost as much as those grow- 
 ing from New Hampshire to Virginia. Illinois has northern wild flowers; 
 it has southern wild flowers; it has flowers from the western plains; 
 flowers native to the east. The combination is unique ; no other state can 
 claim the exact mixture and resultant magnificence in wild flowers. Its 
 flowers are as individual and as much a part of the character of Illinois 
 as the trees, cities, farms, and animals of the Prairie State. 
 
 "Illinois Wild Flowers" was made possible through tlio kindness 
 and assistance of Doctor George D. Fuller, whose critical comments and 
 additions to the numuscript are highly valued; Doctor Blanche JMcAvoy, 
 Illinois State Nornurl University, for reading and criticizing a portion 
 of the manuscript; Doctor Glen Winterringer, assistant botanist at the 
 Illinois State Museum for help in identifying plants; Herman Eifert for 
 assistance in collecting additional plants to be photographed : and to 
 photographers EusseirCarter (on pp. 54, 131, 177, 185, 193, 208, 209, 
 221, 226, 230) ; Charles Hodge (on pp. 54, 131, 208) ; Gilbert Wright 
 (on pp. 228, 233) : and V. S. Eifert (on pp. 29, 57, 121, 167, 179, 184, 
 194, 196, 197, 202, 203. 210. 216, 219, 220. 222, 223, 224, 225, 227, 231, 
 232, 234, 235, 236) for additions to John Voss's collection to fill gaps 
 in the seasonal sequence. To all of these and more, the author and the 
 Illinois State Museum offer grateful thanks. 
 
 Because the flowei's in this l)ook ap]M'ar according to season and time 
 of bloom, a check list ot plants found here, aiTanged according to families 
 in the Flora of Illinois by G. N. Jones, is included (pp. 238-245) for 
 those familiar with th(M'r scientific names. 
 
 Virginia S. Eifert 
 Springfield 
 1 April 1951
 
 SKUNK CABBAGE 
 
 Symplocarpus foetidus (L.) Nutt. 
 
 Early spring Crisp and colorful and oi'iiamental, the skunk cabbage 
 Swamps pushes through the spring mud of the swamp and blos- 
 
 soms in the weak sunlight of March. There is wry beauty 
 in this flower and its leaves; it is not the beauty of a rose or a lily, nor 
 of any sweet, sunlit thing. But this is the rhythm of an art feeling ex- 
 pressed in coiled, lettuce-green leaves and ivory midribs, in mottled, 
 purple-red-brown, shell-shaped flowers with no stems to lift them above 
 the mud. Just as there is nothing like the jack-in-the-pulpit, so is there 
 nothing at all like the skunk cabbage before the woods awake to spring. 
 
 The skunk cabbage in northern Illinois comes into being often before 
 tlie redwinged blackbirds have come back to the marsh. Skunk cabbage 
 precedes robins and blue])irds by many days, and is so far ahead of the 
 other spring flowers that it usually is well out of bloom before the spring 
 l)eauties or the bloodroot blossom. 
 
 Skunk cabbage is an Arum. The typical shape is there — the stout 
 spadix- enclosed in a cupped sheath. On the spadix are borne the small 
 true flowers which are visited by the earliest insects. The stout, squat 
 "flower" emerges dni-kly and ruddily i'rom the mud and emits a strange 
 carrion odor. In a lew days the folded, pale green, waxen leaves pierce 
 the mud and stand in a tiglit gToup beside the flowers. Then as spring 
 advances, the skunk cal)bage odor subsides. The flowers shrivel. The 
 leaves grow tall and spread wide on tall petioles, like pale green, glossy 
 burdock lea.ves. liy midsunnnci- the skunk cabbage is known by those 
 knee-high, clumps of great caladium-like leaves; known, too, when the 
 leaves are l)roken, by the strong odor of mustard plaster and onion. It 
 is as staunch an odor as that carrion smell of early spring, or as the 
 perfume of the skunk itself on a summer evening.
 
 SNOW TRILLIUM (Early Wake Robin) 
 Trillium nivale Riddell 
 Early spring It is tlic first day of spring and it feels like it. 
 
 Hilly woods, cliffs Although in March the Illiuois landscape in gen- 
 eral still has the e:rev look of winter, the silver 
 niajjles are in hloom, hees have found them, willows have a ruddy look, 
 the wind actually has a llavor on the tongue, and the voices of the 
 meadowlarks surely are all nnc needs to acknowledge the reality of spring. 
 They and the small white snow trilliums on a cool limestone cliff ahove 
 the river. 
 
 Snow trilliums arc one of the first llowcrs to hloom. hut they usually 
 grow in such high, wild spots, that ]U)t many folk who follow the 
 ])rogre.><s of s])ring ever see them when they hloom. For snow trillimns 
 must have hilly woods; limestone cliffs are favorite haunts. The little 
 ti-illiums are si-attercd — some on the cliffs ahove the Illinois river; in 
 Ki(ka|i(»(> \'allcy in Peoria county; at Funk's Grove near Bloomington; 
 on a hill near Lake S])ringrield; at Starved Kock; on the hills along the 
 .Mississi]tpi hctwcen Hamilton and Xauvoo, all the way north to Galena — 
 trilliums here and tiiere in isolated connnunities of llowcrs. 
 
 Jiut they are an essential item in the lists of spring. 
 
 Snow trilliums seldom grow more than three to six inches high, on 
 smooth. ])inkish to green st(Mns. There arc three dark green, ohiong leaves 
 spreading in a neat triangle at the top of the stem. Extending from the 
 e.xact center springs a slim llower stalk with one hud. This o))ens pre- 
 ci.><ely to show three white ])etals, three green sepals, and six pale yellow 
 stamens. That is the snow trillium. 
 
 It l)l(X)ms in Mareh and early April, sets .seeds, and disap])ears until 
 the following March. Then again, here and there in Illinois, rare little 
 white trilliums poke up through fallen oak leaves on the north sides of 
 rocky hills and show the ])roper trillium plan-of-three hefore spring is 
 verv far advanced. 
 
 2
 
 SPRING SEDGE 
 
 Carex pennsylvanica Lam. 
 
 Early spring As efficiently and as completely as any blossom of the 
 Woods springtime, the inconspicuous flowers of spring sedge 
 
 open in the sunshine of early April. The sedge is not 
 often noticed; frequently it is passed by as "grass". It has no petals, no 
 beautiful flo\\er as flowers are rated as beautiful, yet the blossoming of 
 the spring sedge marks the beginning of a seasonal era as definite as the 
 change which came between glacial times and the interglacial periods. 
 The coming of spring sedge, often before other flowers bloom, is a sign 
 that winter officially is over and spring now may make its scheduled 
 appearance. 
 
 Spring in Illinois is never a settled thing, never a time in which 
 one may put hisi finger upon a day and say, "Now spring begins." But 
 when the spring sedge l)looms in the sandy woods, then at least the blos- 
 soming time is inaugurated, and this sets off the period from winter, 
 when bloom is not the accepted thing. 
 
 Carex 'pennsylvanica gi'ows three to eight inches high in a tufted 
 clump of rather stiff, gi'ass-like leaves all springing from the ruddy 
 base. The flowering stalks come up thin and leafless and produce upon 
 their tips a cluster of bright, pale yellow stamens with ruddy scales 
 l)elow. or less ornamental pistillate stalks which make seeds. That is nil. 
 This is the beginning of spring. The sedge is in bloom. 
 
 Spring sedge is a menfl)er of a verv- extensive family, the Cyperaceac, 
 more than a thousand species of which have been named in the world. 
 Most of them are marsh-growing, wet-soil plants, but many are found in 
 moist woodlands and not a few tolerate dry ojien woods, among whicli is 
 the woods-growing spring sedge. It grows in dryish woodlands and on 
 violet banks when spring is on the land.
 
 FRAGRANT SUMAC 
 
 Rhus aromatica Ait. 
 
 Early spring In liiaidcd. ciitkin-likc heads, tlic l)iids of fragrant 
 
 Sandy woods .sumac stand stillly erect nii tlie dark hruwn twigs all 
 winter long. Then when March conies to the sand hills 
 and to the sandy roadsides and woods where the low tangles of fragrant 
 sumac thrive, the still' Inids suddenly loosen, expand, and become little 
 bouquets of bright, lemon-yellow flowers. They are abundant enougli to 
 cast a yellow glow upon a landscape only lately rescued from Minter. 
 The earliest insects flock to the odorous little llowers. The first mourning 
 cloak butterflies, clicking their dry dark wings through the pallid sun- 
 light in search of something sweet, find it here among the sumac bushes. 
 
 Later, the flowers are rejflaced. by clusters of bright red, shiny seeds 
 heavily studded with long white hairs and pale down; the fruits are food 
 for robins and other birds late in sunnner. 
 
 All sunnner long the leaves, which do not apjx^ir until well after 
 the flowers, are dark glossy green. They are aromatic when crushed, as 
 are the stems, and resemble in shape the ])oison ivy. The sumacs, in fact, 
 are closely kin to jjoison ivy. but there is no hint of that evil influence 
 in the fragrant sumac. Another veiy similar species, whose leaves are dis- 
 agi'ceably scented when cnished, is the ill-scented sumac. 
 
 Fragrant sumac has become much used in plantings around build- 
 ings, where its abundant flowers, long before most other plants bloom, 
 make, it a welcome addition to citv fjardens.
 
 DUTCHMAN'S BREECHES 
 (Boys and Girls. Snowboysj 
 
 Dicentta cucullaria (L.) Bernh. 
 
 Early spring It may have all started with that first bloodroot flower 
 Woods on a day when the March sun turned seventy and the 
 
 wind was southerly. It may have started with snow 
 trilliums on a limestone hill that hadn't seen a beam of direct sunlight 
 since last summer. It may have started in a city park with spring beauties 
 which would bloom and be done long before the mowers clipped them 
 off. But it could not be officially spring until the dutchman's breeches 
 bloomed. 
 
 They start up exceedingly early — little curled-over, naked, pinkish 
 stems bent as if to protect the tiny unformed leaves. They grow, stretch, 
 take on gTeenness, and in an incredibly short time, as one reckons the 
 progress of growth in the year, there are lacy clumps of grey-green leaves 
 among the old brown oak leaves on the forest floor, and eacli clump in 
 a few days has tall stalks, of crisp, puft'y, white flowers. The shape of the 
 dutchman's breeches flowers is their greatest charm, though their faint 
 perfume is delightful and the loaves are truly beautiful. The flowers are 
 as if made in a mold, two lialves neatly put together with flaring bottom 
 and wide-spread top, hung tenuously on the thinnest of hair-fine stems 
 which attach them, each at a different slant, to the main stem. 
 
 Stems and leaves rise separately from the clusters of pink corm-roots 
 not far beneath the surface of the ground. There is really not much root 
 to account for all those leaves and flowers, just a climip of coral-pink 
 corms no bigger than a hickojy nut, lield fast by a few short white roots. 
 But in those conns there is enough strength to live through the winter, 
 and as early as the ground permits, to send up stems, foliage, and flowers.
 
 SQUIRREL CORN 
 
 Dicentra canadensis ( Goldie) Walp. 
 
 Early spring Tlie ricli black oarth of the old woods slope goes up 
 Woods and up to hci^lits of limestoiio. The earth is full of 
 
 limestone chips, w ith here and there a fragment of an 
 Indian arrowhead where a Hopewellian hunter lost it. The redbuds are 
 in bloom on the great wooded liill, all the way up to the limestone out- 
 eroppiugs, where shadbush clings like an alpine t)usb to the ledges and 
 flutters its tufts of wliitc l)l(X)m in the sunshine. 
 
 It is April and the dutchman's breeches are in bloom on all that soft 
 black-earth slope l)eneath the redbuds and s]vicel)ush. beneath the newly 
 leafing buckeyes ami the still bare oaks. Wild larkspur is here, purple 
 and pale blue and white; there are yellow violets, blue violets, red tril- 
 liums, bloodroot. And there rises an odor as of hyacinths, keen and splen- 
 did above the moist odors of the spring woods. Si|uiirel corn is blossom- 
 ing there. 
 
 At first it l)lends so well with the dutchman's breeches that one 
 actually may pass tht'in by as all one species. Then, as if the scene comes 
 more sharply into focus, there stand out the stiller stems of the squirrel 
 c(u-n with their tighter, narrower, pulled llowers, with tiieir longer, more 
 frilly wings l)elow. The leaves seem nnich the same as those of dutchman's 
 breeches, yet are more compact. And there is that jjcrfume. No dutch- 
 man's breeches ever had that fragrance, not that odor-of-hyacinths which 
 rises so strongly from the ivory flowers of the S(pnrrel corn, there on the 
 wo(Kle(l hill below the liiu(v<tone ledges. 
 
 Squirrel corn has a further diflerence. Instead of growing from pink 
 conns, it has several yellow conns which look very much like broad, round 
 little grains of yellow Indian cora. 
 
 G
 
 BLUETS. STAR-VIOLET 
 
 Houstonia minima Beck 
 
 Early spring On the diy uplands, on those rolling, gravelly hills where 
 Open hills poverty grass denotes a kindred poverty of the soil, the 
 
 rare little hluets blossom in April. Although other bluets 
 (Houstonia coerulea) sometimes are found in northern Illinois and even 
 more commonly northward and eastward, this is the little southwestern 
 species which, further south in Missouri, covers sunny hills and pastures 
 with millions of tiny bright flowers. They are so abundant that the ground 
 is blue with beds of minute and beautiful blossoms. 
 
 We have two very similar Houstonias, very small, both with deep 
 purple flowers, both called "star-violets", and both are winter annuals. 
 They are Houstonia minima and Houstonia pusilJa. The fonner has the 
 longer calyx and grows on very dry ground. The j\Iuseum has collections 
 from several counties, mostly in the south and as far north as Eock 
 Island. The long-leaved houstonia (Houstonia longifolia) often reaches 
 a foot in height, has a many-branched, wiry stem, and small white flowers 
 with pointed, oval petals, and a tube which is longer than the petals. It 
 is found commonly in rocky or gravelly woods in late spring, and often 
 continues to bloom throughout the sununer. 
 
 Bluets are among the most delicate and channing of the spring 
 ilowers in any part of the country. The plant is only one to three inches 
 tall with tiny, bright green, oval leaves placed opposite each other on the 
 thready, weak stems. One flower grows at the tip of each stem ; sometimes 
 the stalk forks near the base, but usually it is straight, simple, and one- 
 llowered. The exquisite blossom, a quarter-inch wide, is four-parted and 
 tubular, the tube in this species no longer than the four spreading petals. 
 The flower is bright blue-lavender, clear blue. pur])l(\ white, or pale pink, 
 the center marked with four ]uir]ilo-rose flnts.
 
 CAROLINA WHITLOW GRASS 
 
 Draba reptans (Lam.) Fern. 
 
 Early spring .M(uc ili;iniati(. perhaps, than the frreatest sunflower or 
 Stony fields the most clcuaiit rose, are these three little plants of 
 whitlow gra.ss. The photograph was staged deliberately 
 to bring out that (juality of niiniature drama, lighted to emphasize the 
 smallness of the plants, their white llowcrs set off by the dark and inde- 
 terminate background. The small stems, the delicate flowers, the small 
 hairy leaves all are proof that even such may have strength to push 
 through a stony place and grow, and blossom, and make fruit. 
 
 Whitlow grass comes (>arly and its blossoming is not announced in 
 the press or talked about with the delight of those finding violets. Few 
 people know when the whitlow grass blooms; few know when its time is 
 over. But in the stony fields and rooky places of Illinois, the Carolina 
 whitlow grass, in tiny majesty, fullills its annual meeting with the spring. 
 
 It comes in March. The little rosettes of small, grey-green, fum- 
 leaves remained there all winter among the stones, and now quickly in 
 the damp chill days ot March the thin little downy stems push up, ]»er- 
 haps to the enonnous height of two or three inehes, seldom or never more 
 than that, open their four-peta,led white flowers and hastily make seeds 
 in pods reminiscent of radish pods. AVhitlow grass and radishes are both 
 in llie ^lustard family. 
 
 Whitlow grass is not an important })lant. not an especially beautiful 
 one except for the beauty of any small, jx^fect thing successfully and 
 efficiently perfonning its life cycle. It is there as part of the verj- early 
 spring, often before the more conspicuous wild flowers bloom, and that 
 is enough.
 
 BLOODROOT 
 
 Sanguinatia canadensis L. 
 
 Early spring In the. hill woods above the river the oaks and hickories 
 
 Woods look down on the new life which has burst over night 
 
 from the leaf-strewn floor of the forest. 
 
 Here are bloodroot flowers sparkling pure white in the sun, flowers 
 which are brief and bright and beautiful, flowers which come early and 
 quickly go. All Avinter they lay quiescent and frozen beneath the surface 
 of the earth, lay beneath the protecting cover of old oak leaves which 
 year after year soften and crumble and are added to the richness and 
 looseness of the soil. Under this, in tight fat buds, in stout, crisp root- 
 stocks, the bloodroot flowers and leaves in miniature were stored all 
 winter. 
 
 Now a day which brings out a hibernating mourning cloak buttei'fly 
 from behind a shag of hickory bark and wakens the cricket frogs in the 
 marsh se^-s clumps or masses of bloodroot in bloom. 
 
 The plants push up quickly, pale gi'ey-gi'een veiny leaves wrapped 
 around the pale pink stem with the pearly white bud at the top. Quickly, 
 after a spring rain, the stem extends al)ove the curled leaf which unfolds 
 broadly at last. The pearl of a bud, which now is like a white egg on the 
 tip of the juicy stem, opens with eight white petals and a yellow center. 
 A day, and then one by one the white petals droj) to tlie moss and the 
 seed pod begins immediately to form. By summer the bloodroot has com- 
 pletely disappeared, its gi'owth done, food stored in the root, a plant 
 formed in miniature in the bud, ready for winter and next spring. 
 
 The root of bloodroot is thick, dai'k red-ljrown, gnarled, and when 
 it is cut it exudes a ruddy juice which looks much like thin blood. The 
 upper parts of the plant contain a yellowish juice wliich shows the blood- 
 root's kinship with tlic [xippv, to wliicli it is closely related.
 
 SPRING BEAUTY 
 
 Claytonia virginica L. 
 
 Early spring Si)rin<i: beauties are among those abundant spring blos- 
 Woods soms which carpet the woods in April. That mass of 
 
 white llowers is mainly spring beauties with a mixture 
 ol tiuLil lilies, toothwort, and anemones — a brief, dancing, delightful 
 throng. It is a transient transformation of the forest lloor into a va^t 
 flower bed. Of them all, the spring beauties in the carpeting are most 
 lavish in their blossoming. 
 
 The thin, pink, watery stems spring from small, hairy brown corms 
 in the ground. The stems and iirst leaves, red-brown and naked-looking, 
 come up often in February and even then show curled-over stems of Hower 
 buds. They seem able to survive the severest weather, and in late ^larch 
 and early A])ril, when the nuiurning cloak butterflies are out and migrant 
 hermit thrushes are back in tlie wood.s, the spring beauties suddenly 
 bloom. Tiny begin wiili ;i s(;ittering of exciting white flowers on a sunny 
 south slo[)e. Tlu'y continue hurriedly on the early mild days with a 
 blanketing of llowers all over the woods. 
 
 Kach ilower has live pinkish or white petals bearing bright red hair- 
 lines, guide lines for insects which come to glean the earliest nectar and 
 at the same time ])ollinate the llowers. As each Ilower witliers, it bends 
 over on its ])liabl(^ stem and curls l)eneath th(> Ilower cluster while the 
 seeds form. By June tlierc are no more s})ring beauty plants in the woods 
 — they have come up, liave blossomed, made their seeds, .sent food into 
 the conns, and liave disappeared until late next winter when the leaves 
 and Ilower buds, eoniidetelv formed, lise auain from the latelv frozen 
 earth. 
 
 10
 
 WHITE TROUT LILY 
 
 (Adder's Tongue. Dog-tooth Violet) 
 
 Erythronium albidum Nutt. 
 
 Early spring Long before anything is in bloom in the Illinois oak 
 Woods woods, the close mats of moss and bare ground and leaf- 
 
 strewn woods floor contain small red. spears thrusting 
 into the sunlight. There are hundreds of them, thousands of them, tight 
 and naiTow and sbarply pointed, poking u]j from deeply set bulbs in the 
 cold earth of very early springtime. The trout lilies are about to keep 
 appointment with the spring. 
 
 With the scant warmth of March and early April, the shoots grow- 
 rapidly and in a few days the red color is gone and the shoots have un- 
 furled into pairs of pale green leaves decoratt'd with ])ale purple-brown 
 mottlings overlaid with a silvery sheen. 
 
 There is one bud stalk to a plant, two leaves to a blossoming size 
 plant. There is no wasted greenery, no unnecessaiy growth of stem or 
 bud. The flower on a damp spring morning uncurls, and three white petals 
 and three white sepals washed with purplish on the backs push backward; 
 the six pale yellow stamens thrust outward, with the three-forked pistil 
 extending still further. Waxen, fragrant, lovely as a miniature Easter 
 lily, standing by thousands through the oak woods in spring-time, the 
 trout lily, the adder's tongue, the dog-tooth violet, blossoms brieily and 
 is gone. It is one of the quickest flowers to come into bloom at the close 
 of winter, one of the quickest to make seeds. Before April is over, most 
 of the leaves have turned yellow and have disappeared, and in the whole 
 broad oak woods there may be no sign that trout lilies in a white and 
 perfumed crowd bloomed as soon as the time was right. 
 
 11
 
 YELLOW ADDER'S TONGUE i Fawn Lily) 
 
 Erythronium americanum Kcr 
 
 Early spring In Illinois oak woods, the white trout lilies bloom early 
 Woods in spring; they are part of the accepted picture ol" 
 
 spiinatiine in this ])art of the middle west. The woods 
 would be stran<ivly laikiii,!:- in a special (jiiality and Uavor if none appeared 
 before April was over. And these are all w liite. 
 
 There are certain rare spots in Illinois, notably in the northern part 
 and here and there in woods further south, where the yellow adders 
 ton«;juc sprin<is up and blossoms witli bright yellow lilies. In the eastern 
 states the yellow kind is the connnon species; one exjiects aai adder's 
 tongue in New England to be yellow: a white one would be strange to 
 see. But in Illinois the reverse is true. 
 
 Six-]>arted, as the other is. the yellow adder's tongue has a purple- 
 tinged throat and })rotruding stamens and i)istil. There is one ilower on 
 the slender smooth steni which springs abruptly from a pair of mottled 
 green leaves. In the yellow species, the leaves usually are broad, glossier, 
 a brighter green with sharpcM- pur]>le mottlings than are found in the 
 white. 
 
 Both trout lilies require a long period of growth before they l)loom. 
 It t-;ikes a seed seven years, usually, to reach blossoming size — seven years 
 while the bulb grows deeixn* and each year sends up a single leaf. In the 
 sixth year there are two leaves, and in the seventh springtime there come 
 two leaves with a flower bud between them, and the trout lily finally 
 blooms. 
 
 [■^
 
 PUSSY TOES 
 
 Antennatia plantaginifolia (L.) Hook. 
 
 April Pussy toes is a plant of poor soil, often acid, sterile 
 
 Dry hills, woods soil where little else will grow. Here on the slopes 
 
 and covering the cold clay, are the silvery-grey and 
 dark green rosettes of leaves A\hich remain throughout the year. The 
 leaves are long and are tapered to the base, more abruptly to the tip, and 
 are covered with long silky white hairs above and below. Since the under- 
 side of the leaves is pure white anyw^ay, the effect is that of a grey-green 
 leaf covered with white silk above and white flannel below. 
 
 From the center of the rosette in very early spring there rise several 
 white, silky stalks with alternate leaves and a cluster of soft white flowers 
 at the top. The hairs of the flowers are so dense and the group so compact 
 that one at once is renunded of the resemblance to a tiny kitten's ])aw. It 
 is no wonder that children long ago, when they visited the woods in early 
 spring in search of the earliest flowers, called this plant "pussy toes''. It 
 is a plant which named itself. 
 
 Pussy toes is a Composite, part of that com})lieated and highly efli- 
 cient group of plants to which belong the sunflowers, the asters, the gold- 
 enrods, the dandelions, and many more. Although most of them are large 
 and conspicuous, with yellow and pur[)le predominating in their color 
 scheme, a few, like the species of i)ussy toes, are small, compact, delicate, 
 and part of the unique flora of a woods in spring. Unlike many of the 
 earliest flowers, the plants of pussy toes remain a])ove ground, dark grey- 
 green now and Avhite below, all through the dry sunnner, the colori'ul 
 autumn, and the snows of winter, until spring shall come again. 
 
 13
 
 "y '^■'■'^%»iiiA'.-thL^mt^ii^^Sami ' , j,.«.;jft ■ 
 
 COMMON DANDELION 
 
 Taraxacum officinale Weber 
 
 Early spring Tlicv may be totally unwolconip in lawn or in gardoiu 
 Lawns, fields lnit on a niilil ^I.iich inornintr when tho sunny south 
 bunk is stanvd w itb briubt vcllow ihmdclions, tbi'V are 
 as pleasant a sifrht as any harbinger of spring. They usually are the first 
 b()U(|U('t carried in iliuliby fists to doting mothers. 
 
 The dandelion came over from Kuro|)e with folk who knew it back 
 h;)me in the Old ("ouiitiT. where dandelions were planted as part i>f tiie 
 garden to provide salads and boiled greens, wine, and tonic, over a. long 
 period ol' time. In .Xnieiica the .<eeds Huffed away ti'om the hollow, milky- 
 juiced stalks and .settled everywhei'c so that in a sb.ort tinu' the dandelion 
 bail become naturalized in America. 
 
 It grows from a long. deep, white tai)root which has great ]nilliiig 
 ])ower. whirb inake> it extremely difficult to yank from the ground. 'Y\\o 
 root, leaves, and flower stems are full of an acrid and sticky white milk 
 which exudes wherever the ])lant is broken or bi-uised. The leave.-^ grow 
 in a basal rosette almost flat upon the ground, and are cut in jagged teeth. 
 
 The hollow tlower stalks are downy. pal(\ and rubbery. Each is 
 tojjped with a flat, bright green bud which opens to show a whole colony 
 or family of bright yellow flowerets. The central flowei's in the bead pro- 
 (hu-e i)ollen and pistils. The stamens come forth first and pollen is carried 
 by insects to other dandelions. Then the pistils jjusb up and receive pollen 
 from other flowers, l^ut if no in.^ects come to fertilize the pistils, they 
 riH'cive ]iollen from stamens in thiMr own flower liead. Even if none of 
 this remains, it is jiossible for the dandelion to make seeds without being 
 pollinated at all. 
 
 14
 
 MARSH-MARIGOLD (American Cowslip) 
 
 Caltha palustris L. 
 
 April Tliat night the swampy avoocIs were loud with the throaty 
 
 Swamps piping of the spring peepers and the calling of the wood- 
 cocks. Everywhere — hy dozens, by hundreds, the tiny brown 
 frogs hidden in the shallows shrilled their urgent song, Spring ! Spring ! 
 Spring ! 
 
 Now as the sun comes into the swampy woods, the light shines upon 
 hundreds of gleaming marsh-marigolds — among them the peepers were 
 loud all night. The sun is reflected now from the polished golden petals, 
 strikes highlights in the curve of each flower cup, sparkles on the tight 
 clusters of massed golden stamens in the center of each flower, illumi- 
 nates the thick, heart-shaped, leathery leaves which stand in tufts with 
 the skunk cabbages in wet places. 
 
 Spring takes form among the blossoming marsh-marigolds, as surely 
 here in the northern half of Illinois as it does in the white trout lilies 
 further south, and in all the bright rosettes of dandelions everywhere. 
 The marigolds are like elegant buttercups; stout of stem, thick of leaf, 
 massive of flower, they are the best of the buttercup line, with a special 
 metallic glint on the petals, a special sheen which catches the sunlight 
 until it actually sparkles there in the April swam]x 
 
 Cowslips, many people call them. The young shoots are used for 
 greens in some parts of the countiy. But as a part of the landscape, the 
 marsh-marigolds need both their sparkling name and their s])arkling 
 flowers, and their glossy leaves beneath which innumerable small brown 
 frogs wait until dusk to resume their concert of the spring. 
 
 15
 
 HARBINGER-OF-SPRING . Pepper and Salt) 
 
 Erigenia bulbosa ( Michx. 1 Nutt. 
 
 Early spring Ahovi- the clill's of .Starved Kock, high ahovo the Illinois 
 Woods, cliffs Ifiver and the extinct villages of the Kaskaskia in the 
 lowlands, the woods remain much as they have been for 
 many thousands of years. Xow it is the end of March. It has been cold 
 and rainy; there have been late snows and winds out (»f Medicine Hat 
 which rullled the feathers of the early hennit thrush and quelled the 
 small songs of the liist myrtle warblers on their way to the north woods. 
 A few shadbush Jlowers have come out. but little else shows any evidence 
 that March is at an end and tomorrow April will move into the woods 
 and perform the transliguration of winter into spring. 
 
 Xow, as if the hand of April already had touched the cold ground 
 here and there, a host of tiny white flowers have opened in the pale 
 sunshine. Harbingrr-of-s])ring has arrived; now A])ril may como and 
 find the stage already set for Aprillian miracles. 
 
 Harl)inger-of-sj)ring, a member of the Parsley familv, is found not 
 very commonly in Illinois, but in its thuscn sjjots of cool deciduous 
 woods, as at Starvi'd Kock State l*ark or Funk's (Jrove. it sjireads until 
 the gTouud for a few short .s})ring days is covered with the delicate jilants 
 and their clusters of llowers. The stem is smooth and simple, unl)ranched. 
 At the top of its imposing length of perhajjs two inches, there are two 
 or three compound, finely cut, smooth green leaves; just above them are 
 the little i-lusters of delicate white llowers. 
 
 Tn midsummer they would be ignored. But in late March and early 
 Ajiril when few things hav(> been in bloom since the last of the. asters in 
 October, the tiny, scented white llowers of harbinger-of-sj)ring are very 
 welcome. The name Erigenia means literally, "horn in the spring." 
 
 k;
 
 FALSE RUE-ANEMONE 
 
 Isopycum biternatum (Raf. ) T. ^ G. 
 
 April The wooded hillside in April is a flower garden. Its loose rich 
 
 Woods soil i.s composed of decayed leafmold made up of generations 
 of dead leaves and sticks; of disintegrated rocks and sand, of 
 water and chemicals all unified by the action of freezing and thawing, 
 raining and drying, sunshine and light breezes. In this loose soil beneath 
 the oaks and pawpaws and wild cherries, the flowers of early spring push 
 through easily and bloom in a hurry after the first call of growth. ]\Iost 
 of the earliest gTow from roots stored with food, or from bulbs or conns. 
 They are ready to grow when the time is right. 
 
 But the small plants of false rue-anemones are unbelievably hardy. 
 They have a thin, fibrous root not far beneath the surface of the ground, 
 not a large enough root to provide much food for the gTowing plant. The 
 beds of anemones, however, often have green leaves all winter. The small, 
 thin, dark green leaflets on low stems usually stand all winter long wdth- 
 out visible growth, and in April send out new leaves and tiny pearl-like 
 buds and dancing white flowers. 
 
 The anemone beds then are white with l)lo()m — th(\v are among the 
 most lightly balanced of flowers. The slightest breath of a breeze seta 
 them to quivering, their smooth, thin, compound leaves to fluttering. 
 False rue-anemones are ])art of that "snow'' wliich covers the sju-ingtime 
 woods with a blanket of white. 
 
 IV
 
 WOOD ANEMONE iWind Flower 
 Anemone quinquefolia L. 
 
 April 
 
 Northern woods 
 
 Siiuill. iiit iiiiatc. ami iicrfcci it -taiids at the foot of 
 ail old tree, a wood anoiiiont' in a sandy forest of 
 
 lltTc is the compact, exquisite 
 
 iiorthcni Jlliiioi 
 
 jiiiii:^ llowcr. efficient in the lew leaves it produces, 
 
 clianii of a >ina 
 
 c-omplete and hricf in it- lldwrriiii:- 
 
 It is a low plant, seldom over six inches hifrh and usually less. It 
 
 top of which is a whorl of three compound, 
 lulled and toothed, and stand out in a tri- 
 lower risini;- in the middle. The flower is 
 lalc \('llow cluster of stamens to set off the 
 
 has thill, wiry stems at the 
 grey-o'reen leaves wliiili an 
 anjiular pattern helow the 
 five-petaled witli a delicate 
 center. 
 
 Wood anemones are not eoiiimoii in llliiioi.-. They heloiig further 
 north and east. Oiii- (('iiiinoii anemones are the fal.se rue anemone, the 
 rue, the prairie, the tall, and the thimhle anemones. The little wood 
 anemone, theridore. is an uncommon creature to lind. It is most fre- 
 quently found in sandy woods and in dune forests near I^ike Michigan. 
 
 This is the llower ai»oiit which so many ])oets have written. These 
 are the blossoms of .\nemos. the Wind, who sends them as his heralds 
 when the blasts of winter have scarcely given way to the wanner winds 
 of spring. Wind-llowers. they are often calKnl. because their lightly set 
 flowers and leaves nod and dance in any bn^'ze. Long ago in Kome 
 the anemone was ])icked with an iiu antatiiin intended to giuird the picker 
 from fever. In Asin. where the anemone also grows, it is planted on 
 graves and is called the death llower. But this is spring — this is Illinois — 
 and our anemones, free from sui)erstition, are creatures of wind and jiure 
 delii^ht. 
 
 18
 
 GREATER BELLWORT (Wood Merrybells) 
 
 Uvularia grandiRora Sm. 
 
 April Vvularia, the old botanists called it, because, said they, 
 
 Woods, hills searching for something with which to compare the 
 ])lant. "The flowers hang, like the uvula or palate." 
 This seems to be a very prosaic reason for naming a light and airy spring 
 flower with its gold bells twinkling through the woods when April once 
 again is on the land. 
 
 From smootli lirown slieaths protecting the young shoots, the stems 
 grow rapidly from the rich earth of a moist, ferny hillside. These are 
 smooth and grey-green with parallel veins, and apparently grow with the 
 stem piercing the leaf. This is called a perfoliate leaf and is one of the 
 best ways to identify the bellwort, either in Idoom or out of bloom. From 
 the bending, thin stems hang the tight, gTeen-yellow buds which open to 
 form six-paited, bright yellow flowers which last for some time in the 
 spring woods. The flowers finally fall away and there appear tight, three- 
 angled fruits which remain on the stalks all summer long. 
 
 The flowers of the l)ellwort, come apart in the plan of three, which 
 marks it a lily. Inside the narrow l)ell there is a deep, honey-bearing 
 groove, bordered on each side l)y a thick ridge. Here insects which have 
 come for bellwort nectar must sip, and then back out, scraping off pollen 
 on their wings and backs as they go. Then they carry the pollen to an- 
 other bellwort, ])ollination of the flower is accomplished, and the seeds 
 soon will form. 
 
 ly
 
 RUE-ANEMONE (Wind Flower) 
 Anemonella thalictroides (L.) Spacb. 
 
 April On the north slopes of day hills whore the shooting star 
 
 Woods, hills o])eiis its locket-liko hlossoms and hrittle ferns nnourl, 
 and tlie ruby-crowned kin-;lets sinj; their minute songs 
 among the shadl)usli llowers, the nie-anemones eome into their fullest 
 heanty. They are part of a vernal interlude whieh comes between winter 
 and summer, ])art of the picture whieli includes delicacy and airiness and 
 exquisite grace in the turn of a stem, the shape of a small leaf, the grace 
 of a flower. 
 
 There is moi'e substance to a rue-anemone llinn there is to a false 
 rue-anemone; thai is one way to distinguish them there in the spring 
 woods. There are many other dilfeivnees, most of them subtle, yet often 
 the two are misnamed by those who come to find flowers in the spring- 
 time of the yrjii-. 
 
 Kue-ancmone has round-petaled flowers of lavender, ])ink, or white 
 Avith a delicate, yellow-stamened lenter. The llowers st^iud above the 
 whorls of round, tliree-lobed. dark green leallets, and the entire plant of 
 many stems rises from a group of fleshy little rootstocks in the ground. 
 
 Rue-anemones are truly flowers of the sj)ring winds. Wiry as they 
 are, the stems are unbelievably sturdy in the gusty woods of mid-April. 
 When oaks sustain broken boughs or poplars tojjjile, the rue-anemones 
 simply bend and >\\;iy ;intl >t,iiid erect again when tornadoe^s and high 
 winds are past. 
 
 20
 
 HEPATICA (Liverleaf) 
 Hepatica acutiloba DC. 
 
 April It is a day in March, sunny, bright, but still cool and 
 
 Wooded hills frosty-feeling on the north slope of a damp, wooded 
 hillside. Now, suddenly, the hepaticas are in bloom. All 
 winter there were the pui-jjle-red hepatica leaves from last year, standing 
 above the dead oak leaves, or buried under snow, to mark where the 
 hepatica plants lived in waiting for the first inkling of spring. Unlike 
 so many of the earliest flowers whose plants stand only a little while 
 above the earth while they bloom, make seeds, and send food into the 
 roots, the hepatica is visible all the year round. Curled down at the base 
 of the plant, from which spread the long-stemmed, three-lobed, purplish 
 old leaves, there are grey, silky-furry, new leaves tightly folded and curled 
 together ahove the flower buds on their silky stems. In an incredibly- 
 short time after the ground has thawed and the sun shows more strength 
 than it had in February, the flower stalks extend themselves and the buds 
 open in the weak sunshine. Lavender, pink, white, and all variations of 
 these colors, decorated with a whorl of white stamens in the center, the 
 hepatica flowers are among the most charming to be found in the woods. 
 John Burroughs said of the hepaticas in his New England woods: 
 "There are many things left for ^lay, but nothing fairer, if as fair, as 
 the flrst flower, the hepatica. What an individuality it has! No two clus- 
 ters alike; all shades and sizes. A solitary bhu'-{)urple one, fully expanded 
 and rising over the brown leaves or the green moss, its cluster of minute 
 anthers showing like a gi'oup of pale stars on its little firmament, is 
 enough to arrest and hold the dullest eye.'' 
 
 ^1
 
 CAROLINA ANEMONE 
 
 Anemone caroliniana Walt. 
 
 April 
 
 Open prairie hills, sands 
 
 .M;irkiii<i- the eastern-flung boundaries of old 
 |K)st-i:!aeinl flood plains and lakes in middle 
 Illinois -arc h>u<s low rau_ii"('s of sand hills and 
 wind-chisclril loess Mull's which, thrtni^uh tlu' passage ot many centuries 
 of west winds and })()unng })rairie rains, have been curry-combed into 
 an almost conical shape. They ai'(> miniature mountains, the loess blutfs, 
 and the saiul hills are great, stai)ili/ced dunes whos<! substance of sand 
 nevertheless may begin to move if the tight covering of vegetation is 
 displayed. \\\i\ the i-oots of pi-aiiie plants grow deeply and form a heavy 
 mat. As long as they stay, the sand hills stay in place; the loess blulfs, 
 a more stable substance which seldom tu'oih's, holds its top soil as long 
 as the ]flants aiv there. 
 
 High on the lops of tlicM' h.ills are tiny I'osettes of small, compound, 
 feniy leaves. They are thick, sturdy leaves in sjjite of their small size, 
 and their roots are one with the depths of soil which they require for life. 
 The leaves are silvei'y-pmple anil pale iireen in sjiring. Then, \inder the 
 alternately benetirent face of the .\pi-il sun and tlie cold, chill rains of a 
 hestitating spring, the curled-down, ro.<e-grey. silky buds finally stand 
 erect and bloom — the Carolina anemones. They arc three to ten inches 
 tall, noble little ])lants which should know alpine heights of timberliue 
 country, not the tops of prairie hills. The flower, like most alpine plants, 
 is nmch larger in jjrojjortion to the plant than lowland flowers. The 
 flower may be three inches high and an inch and a half wide, with 15 to 
 18 narrow, ])ale ])ink, lavender, or white ju'tals around a yellow center. 
 This is a woteiii nlaiit whose eastern boundarv is reached in Illinois. 
 
 O'O
 
 April 
 
 Swamps, hillsides 
 
 SWAMP BUTTERCUP 
 
 Ranunculus septentrionalis Poir. 
 
 The buttercups are a contradictory tribe. They 
 may be brilliant gold with a sheen like gold leaf, 
 or they may be dull and greenish and small, and 
 quite unbeautiful in the springtime of the year. Two of the most orna- 
 mental of the buttercups are these — the swamp buttercup of the wet 
 places, and the early crowfoot {Banuncidus fascicularis) which blooms 
 at about the same time or a little earlier, Init chooses clay hillsides as its 
 native haunt. 
 
 They have compound leaves and five-petaled. glistening gold flowers 
 with tufted golden centers which sparkle in the April sun. The butter- 
 cups start out as neat and compact plants with many short stems and 
 leaves springing in a tuft from the filn-ous root. But wlien April is almost 
 over and still the buttercups put forth bloom, the plants send out runners 
 with new plants on the ends. Outward they stretch and take root wherever 
 they find a place to stop and send in their white little roots. No wonder 
 the buttercups spread themselves so thoroughly and so Inilliantly when 
 April comes. ^Yith their abundant seeds and their spreading runners, they 
 have two means Ijy wliich they increase themselves. The swamp buttercup 
 is the more proliiic of the two, lias loundcr. laigiM-. brighter flowers than 
 the early crowfoot. The latter has a more compact plant and nnich more 
 deeply cut and more compact leaves, and star-shaped flowers with narrow, 
 pale yellow petals. There on the sunny hillside under the oaks the early 
 crowfoot blooms, while down iu the marshy place near the pond the 
 ground is golden with swamp buttercups. To ])otli flit the little silvery 
 blue butterflies and the earliest ])co!i of spring. 
 
 2:5
 
 TANSY MUSTARD 
 
 Descurainia brachycarpa (Richards) Schulz. 
 
 April 
 
 Roadsides, bottomlands 
 
 No matter how dif!erent their loaves may be, 
 
 tlio ilowers of the Mustard family, Cruci- 
 
 ferae, show their reseml)lanee to each other 
 
 ill tlir cioss-.-liniicd hlossoins and hitter, waterv juict'. It is the shape of 
 
 the simple little Ilowers which pves the entire laiiiily its hotaiiical name 
 
 — Criieiferae, the eross-sha])e(l ones. 
 
 Tan.sy mustard and winter eress {Bnrlmren vuhjaris) are two which 
 have extremes in lc;if patterns ; there is very little similarity between them. 
 Tansy mustard ^nows in dry sdil in full sunliizht from May through most 
 of .hdy. It has very liiiely nit lenves which are arranired alternately upon 
 ih(> downy stem. The plant i,- ierny, ratlier pretty, not as w»'edy in apjiear- 
 ance as so many of the jjrosser mustards are. 'J'ho stem tapers to a loose 
 head of tiny yellow llnwcrs held outward on slim, little stems. As each 
 flower ])asses out ol hloom. the long thin seed pod stamls at an angle on 
 the stalk until the whole liead is a cluster ot .><etHls. 
 
 Winter cress long ago wa*; called the Herb of St. Barbara in Europe 
 where it was u."*ed a.s a very popular spring vegetable. Its stout, rather 
 hollow, juicy stalks and compounfl. glossy, cress-like leaves are to}){)ed 
 with clusters ot hright yellow mustard Ilowers. Winter cress blooms early 
 in low ])laces and along roads where the ditches are moist and frogs are 
 loud on an April evening. Winter cress is a hright hit of .-un-gold in a 
 landscape -till colored with the drahness of winter. 
 
 24
 
 TOOTHWORT (Crinkleroot. Pepper Root) 
 
 Dentaria laciniata Muhl. 
 
 April The oak woods above the river are full of song. There may 
 
 Woods be only a few titmice, two cardinals, a Carolina wren, a chick- 
 adee, and four amorous cowbirds, but so early in the season 
 they are a s])rinii- symphony to the wintor-woary ear. 
 
 The oaks stand tall and clean. Their huds already show swelling and 
 a lighter color, but far ahead of them are the buckeye trees wliich already 
 are in leaf. Spicebush blossoms are brassy gold. Anglewing butterflies 
 gather at the running sap left from sapsucker borings on a hickory trunk. 
 Song, color, activity — this is very early spring. 
 
 And the woods now are carpeted with flowers. Spring beauties are 
 everywhere; there are trout lilies and dutchman's breeches, bellwort, and 
 yellow and l)lue violets, red trilliums. wild blue phlox, and new. unrolling 
 ferns. And with this horde of flowers are other blossoms which blend so 
 well with the white of spring beauties as to be almost hidden among 
 them. Here they are. the toothworts^ the crinkleroots, in bloom again. 
 
 Toothwort has the four white or ])inkish petals of the Mustard 
 family, flowers aiTanged in ai loose cluster at the top of the stem which 
 stands above the two or three deeply cut, compound leaves. Taller than 
 the spring beauties and more stiff and decisive, the toothwort is one of 
 the plants which fills a small niche in the complete picture of an Illinois 
 spring-time. 
 
 The horizontal white rootstock down in tlie woods earth is edible 
 and pleasantly peppery to the taste, but since to eat it is to destroy the 
 plant, it should be used only for emergency rations. 
 
 2")
 
 SHEPHERDS PURSE 
 
 Capsella bursa-pastocis ( L. ) Medic. 
 
 April In tlio (loorviirds of Athens, in tho villa^-os of France, 
 
 Lawns, gardens in the fields alontr the Rhine, in the meadows of Eng- 
 land, ill the cahljaLi-e lields of HoUand, the shej)henrs 
 purse for centuries has cuinc u|) each ycai- and hlossonied and fruited. In 
 Greece, in France, in (iernianv, in Kuiiland. in Holland, in nio.st Kuro- 
 ])ean countries, tlie youn<r liasid leaves ot she))h(M-d's jjurse have heen 
 gathcivd and cookcMl as yreens. l-'olk for ccntiiries have eaten it witii 
 relish. 
 
 From its European oriijin, shepiierd's purse has traveled all over the 
 world until it is nearly cosmojiolitan. It was taken in shipments of goods 
 and foodstulfs to f;ir eornei-s of th.e world, seeded itself, went along 
 wherever men went, until today it is an imi)ortant item in i-onjunction 
 with man and his hahitations, his fields, ])astures. and roadsides. When 
 spring conu^s. the tiny white llowers at the tip of the tinn stem are ont> 
 of the earliest hlossoms to come into hloom. To many a city child, the 
 flowers of shejjherd's purse and dandelions, pic-ked from some meager 
 lawn or vacant lot. constitute his entire knowledge of the flowering spring. 
 
 In tliemselves, the tiny white llowers are lU'at little things, white, 
 with four small petals, each flower arranged in dignity upon a thin little 
 stem at angles from the rest of the stem. The stalk hegins to hloom from 
 the i>ottom to the top, and all along the way stand out the seeds when 
 the llowers are gone. Tlu^ poils are thin, green, sharply heart-shaped, 
 pepi)ery like the fruit of peppergrass. 
 
 2(1
 
 SHADBUSH (Service Berry. Juneberry ) 
 
 Amelanchier arborea i Michx. ) Fern. 
 
 April 
 
 Wooded, rocky hills 
 
 Now the fleeting touch of spring sets bouquets 
 of blossoms all across the countrvsicTe — now 
 
 bloom the flowering trees which are part of the 
 prairie springtime. It is they which carry bloom aloft, lift it from the 
 ground where the violets and bluebells and buttercups grow, and fling 
 color, light, and perfume against a sun-and-showers sky. They are the 
 intangible spirit of springtime made tangible, translated in terms of 
 thousands of flowers set upon the thousand twigs of shadbush, redbud, 
 dogwood, haw, and crab. 
 
 From afar they are unreal and misty, as if a wind might puff them 
 away. They accent the hills and ornament the woodlands, give the 
 meagerest roadside and most barren slope the fairy-tale glamor of a 
 light-opera setting. 
 
 In early spring when all a])out there is/ only the grey and brown of 
 the sleeping winter woods, the sudden foam-white of the shadbush-bloom 
 comes dramatically to ])ut an end to winter. Shadbush is a slender, 
 gTaceful, airy little ti'ce with grey bark and long thin twigs. On the 
 twig-tips the buds open before the leaves have more than begun to expand 
 in grey and pink silk in the sunshine, and soon there are large thimbles 
 of white flowers all over the shad trees. A mend)er of the Rose family, 
 the flowers are five petaled and are followed by tinv, long-stennned, 
 miniature apples. These are the shadberries which are so well liked by 
 robins that few fruits are gathered by human beings, lint when they 
 are — service berry ])ies are tlie delectnble I'csidt. 
 
 2?
 
 COMMON PAWPAW (Custard-apple) 
 
 Asimina triloba (L.j Dunal. 
 
 April 
 
 Bottomland woods 
 
 Jn A])iil, when spring is everywhere, the pawpaws 
 l)l()ss()in and are suddenly important in a wo<k1s 
 whcic as yet the leaves have not api)eared on 
 anything hut the shadhushes and l)uekeyes. The ground is carpeted with 
 sweet William phlox and anemones, with spring beauties and the purple 
 of the lowlaiul violets; now folk come here to hunt for the suceulent 
 spring mushrooms, the sjiongy hrown morels. In the thin April sunshine, 
 the fuzzy iilack, round l»uds of the paw[)aw trees expand, turn hronzy 
 green and >h(>w part- anaiigcd in threes armind a tight, hard, rnund 
 center. 'J'hen the tlowi'r ehangi's still more until one day the A}uil sun- 
 light shines through silky, translucent. si\-j)arted, purjde-red llowers 
 which hang on slendei- hrown twigs, 'i'he gUihular centers of golden-green 
 stamens are open to the bees, and the llowers emit a rich, fruity, almcst 
 tropical odor. On the twig-tips, the pale green leaves, folded neatly down 
 their centers, slowly unfold, so that hy the time the ilowers have shriv- 
 eled, the leaves are well on their way to covering the trees. 
 
 When it is autumn in the Illinois country, the ])awpaw fniits are 
 ripe. In the hottondand forests along the Mississijjpi, the Illinois, and 
 the Sangamon, and th.e Kankakee, along the Wal)ash and th(^ l)ig ^Fuddy 
 and the Cache, the jiawpaw fruits are ripe. 
 
 It was in these sjune forests that the Indians knew the richly fla- 
 vored, custard-filled, Ti\)e pawpaws. TlK-y were calhvl m.s.simi/jfl by the 
 Illiniwek, to whom this was an im])ortant and much sought fruit. .l«?i- 
 ininicr. the French called them, from which Asimina. the present bo- 
 tanical name, much later was derived. Pawpaws are edible either baked 
 or raw. 
 
 28
 
 WILD RED PLUM (Wild Goose Plum) 
 Prunus americana Marsh. 
 
 April Sweet on tlie air of an April evening is the fra- 
 
 Roadsides, thickets grance of wild plum trees in bloonu The scent 
 
 carries everywhere through the woods and along 
 the roadsides, wafts in great bursts of spring perfume reminiscent of all 
 the Aprils that ever were or shall be. There is the sound of cricket frogs 
 jingling at the edge of the pond; the toads are trilling; the first of the 
 whip-poor-wills is back and the dusk is pulsating with its rapid call. It 
 is an evening in April . . . there is the blur of white where the plum 
 trees are in bloom, the softness of new grass under foot, the breath of 
 soft air in the face, and the ineffable fragrance of wild plum blossoms in 
 the nostrils. It is the complete essence of springtime distilled in that 
 one nostalgic fragrance. 
 
 The wild plums blossom before there are any leaves on the gnarled 
 black twigs. Now the tight clusters of small buds burst into Ijloom after 
 a soft April rain, and the trees are dripj)ing with l)lossoms and perfume 
 and raindrops. A phoebe whirs for a moment to catch an insect among 
 the flowers. Next day when the suii is wami and the breezes blow, tiiere 
 is a soft showering of round white petals to the ground. Day by day the 
 plum blossoms disintegrate until one day the small trees are cov(M('d with 
 leaves and the perfume of April is gone for another year. 
 
 By August there are oval, coral-red, or yellow-red plums on the trees. 
 Few are perfect; most have snuiU white larvae inside, larvae which were 
 deposited as e^g^ in the ovaries of the fiowers long ago in April. The 
 plums fall, are jiecked by robins. The stony seeds are gathered by chip- 
 munks and wood mice and squirrels, who find the nut inside a toothsome 
 morsel on a winters day. 
 
 29
 
 REDBUD (Judas Tree) 
 Cercis canadensis L. 
 
 April With the delirious scent of wikl phnn l)lossonis even- 
 
 Woods, thickets w hcif ah)ny: the country roads and alony tlie til^zes of 
 
 woods, there comes tiie hlurrin«i- of purple-rose color of 
 the ii'dl)ud trees. Now the small ]u':i-siiaped llowers burst from bare l>lack 
 steius wliirh seemed, oidy a week or so ago. almost as dead as fire-iharred 
 wood. Xow they arc alive: thev are coven'd with beauty and i-i«lor. 
 
 They eouie together, llie wild plum blossouis and the redbud.-. and 
 with llieiii. as a iiei-Jeet ((iiiipleiMcut iu eolor. is the pali> gulden green of 
 the new willow leaves. 'Tlie-e are anu)ng the lirst tangible ehanges in the 
 landstape— now alter an .April rain tluMV are those masses of ])ink, those 
 masses of white, those veiling^ of pale green whei'e the willows stautl. 
 And ioi- a. nionieii! in 'Time it is the most beautiful and nu)st welcome 
 sight in all the world. 
 
 Kedbud grows alnu)st everywluMv in woods in the southern two-thirds 
 of Illinois. It bbbs; ms whi'u the trees are still small, and continues while 
 the gnarled, blaek-barked trees grow older and older, until that annual 
 burst of i»ink llowers seems almost ineongruou- in one so aged. There is 
 a nice gradation of color on tlic redbuds. When the carmine buds o]ien 
 on the black twigs, they send out thin, pink stems with slim, pointed buds 
 of bright dec|) pink, deeper on the calyx. Then when the llower opens, it 
 bleaches to a palei- pink w hile tlse calyx remains almost red, the thin .-teni 
 lavender-])ink. Among the mass(>s of llowers, crisp against the blue Apiil 
 sky, ilit the wide-eyed, little ruby-crowne<l kinglets, sleek and green, on 
 their wav to the northwoods to nest. 
 
 :}0
 
 PRICKLY ASH (Toothache Tree) 
 
 Zanthoxylum americanum Mill. 
 
 April It is early spring in the rocky woods, and, there on the liill- 
 
 Woods slope ahove the creek, the thorny thickets of prickly ash trees 
 are all in hloom. It is an insig-nificant bnt elo(juent burst of 
 bloom, the full extent of this tree's annual llowering, but it serves the 
 prickly ash sufficiently well to provide seeds for the coming year. The 
 flowers are short, stamen-filled, greenish or yellowish, shallow bells which 
 burst ap])arently from the bark of the stems, where the stern ])rickles 
 jut out. There are no leaves on the prickly ash so early in April when the 
 flowers bloom. Then the tight, deeply set buds open and the compound 
 leaves come forth, and it is late spring, and then summer. All summer the 
 dark gi'een leaves are there on the trees and make a dense shade beneath. 
 Sometimes the leaves are eaten by the hungry orange-dog caterpillar, 
 lan-a of the giant swallowtail which prefers, of all plants in the land, 
 the leaves of Kue family members for a diet. Tu the southern states the 
 orange-dog, therefore, eats the leaves of orange, lemon, and grapefruit 
 trees. In the north it chooses those of the piickly ash. which is a nuMuber 
 of the same family. 
 
 In late siuiimer and autiimn tlic fruits are ripe. These are extremely 
 miniature scarlet "oranges" which split to reveal a sliiny black svod. 
 The fleshy fruits when crushed have a strong citius oddi', aiul \\lu'ii 
 applied to the skin or taken into the mouth, set up a violent burning 
 sensation. This is the reason foi- its coinmon name of toothache tree, for 
 the counter-irritation set up by the fruits and inner bark of prickly ash 
 is enough to make anyone forget the most severe toothaeh(\ Indians and 
 pioneers knew the prickly ash for this beneficent cjuality. 
 
 ;?i
 
 WILD CHERVIL 
 
 Chaerophyllum procumbens (L.) Crantz 
 
 April Where the lowhiiid woods is bisected hy the <:iilh)|)iiig creek. 
 
 Woods the Ihx)!' ot the woods heiiciith the elms iiiid Kentucky eoU'ee 
 trees is pale blue with X'iruiuia bluebells all in bh)oni. There 
 is the white froth of anemones, (lutehnian's breeehes, toothwort, and 
 spriui:- l)eauties. and the delieatc tiny white ll;)wers of the spreading 
 chenil are like line. s|)ray tossed above the leaves. 
 
 Spreadini:- chervil is one of the very eai'ly tiowi-i's to a|)pear in Ajjril. 
 It is a low. weak, juicy-stennned little plant with compound, parsley-like 
 leaves and small uronp- ui tinv white Ihiwcrs, each with five petals, in 
 clusters here and there on the i)lant. Spieadinu" chervil is abundant where 
 it <rrows ; it fills the substratum beneath the bluebells and spice bushes 
 and pawjjaw ti'<'es; it <rrows close to the jzround and jiroiluces its flowers 
 for several weeks, until deep -hade ap|)ear> in ilie woods and the spring 
 blo.ssoms are gone. 
 
 The seeds of spreading chei"vil come (piickly. ri|)en, are disjiersed. 
 and the little plants by anil by disappear uniler the (K'cp shadows of l)lue- 
 grass and hor>ewee(l>. The lilueliell> are all gmie, hut the memory of their 
 blueness and the froth ot the tiny wldte llowers of chervil beneath them 
 remains until once again springtime conu>s to th(^ lowland woods. 
 
 32
 
 MISSOURI GOOSEBERRY 
 
 Ribes missouriense Nutt. 
 
 April It is late March. The little stream through the woods is nm- 
 
 Woods ning freely again and the woods-earth is dark and porous 
 after the departure of the snows. The fox sparrows utter 
 throaty flute-notes and ripple-songs, like the sounds of water ninning 
 under ice. The juncos are tinkling their snuill songs which mean that 
 it is almost time for juncos and fox sparrows to head north to nest. A 
 hermit thrush, also on its way to northern spruce forests, hops among 
 last year's dead leaves where a scarlet cup mushroom gleams forth like 
 a tanager's feather. On a south slope the spring beauties have opened a 
 few pale flowers, but the great burst of early spring bloom is not yet here. 
 
 But the look of spring is all through the hilly woods. The wild 
 gooseberry l)ushes are in leaf. They are smooth, rounded mounds of pale 
 green and the leaves are still so young they are folded and pleated, deli- 
 cate and soft, pretty as flowers and with a ])ervasive fragrance whicli is 
 everywhere in these woods. 
 
 A month later the gooseberry bushes liavc full-grown leaves and the 
 flowers are in bloom. The scent of gooseberry blossoms is even sti'onger 
 through the woods than it was when the leaves were perfumed. Now the 
 llowers hang in small clusters all over the bushes, spring from the axils 
 of the leaves and the new green stems. The llowers are almost fuclisia- 
 like in shape, pale green and white, with tightly recurved sepals of the 
 bell-shaped calyx and a tight, bell-sha})ed corolla inside. From this ex- 
 tend the dramatically long, tight group of white stamens and the pistil. 
 It is indeed a dramatic little flower — small, but so delicately exaggerated 
 that in its waxen perfection it is among the most beautiful in the spring- 
 time woods, 
 
 33
 
 WILD BLACK CURRANT 
 
 Ribes ameticanum Mill. 
 
 April Tn llic rich, alluvial black soil of lowland woods, the wild 
 
 Swamps lilack lui-raiit in Ajjril hangs out its chains of bright yt'lK)w 
 bells with their pleasant fragrance of clt)ves. It is one of those 
 special sights of s])ring — the wild currant bush with its new. perfect. 
 heart-shaped, [ilcatcd young leaves and it- droo])ing racemes of .scented, 
 bright gold ilowers. 
 
 The blossoms are bell-shaped with five I'ecurving petal divisions and 
 still* yellow and white stamens aiul j)istil within. The tlowers are jilaceil 
 alternately along the thin. weak, downy stem whirh s|)rings from the 
 axils of the secondary \w\\ branches and leaf-axils. 
 
 The fniits of wild black currant are ]>urplish bhuk and edible, 
 though they are far moi-e tasty when cooked than when they are eaten 
 raw. They are .smooth and thick-skinned, liang in the same clusters as 
 the Ilowers did — from gold to ])ur|)le. it is just a nuitter of a few weeks 
 from on(> to the other. Thi' fruits when crushed have some of that faint 
 odoi- of >kunk which is inexplicably found in certain other miMubers of 
 the genus Kibes. 
 
 The Arabs knew currants. It was they who gave them the name of 
 Hibes. which was dcriv(>il fi-om an Arabic word meaning "fruit with acid 
 juice". 
 
 34
 
 GOLDENSEAL (Orange Root. Yellow Puccoon) 
 
 Hydrastis canadensis L. 
 
 April Long ago in the days of the French explorers, La Salle built 
 
 Woods a. fort above the Illinois River near the Peoria Indian village, 
 and named it Fort Creve Coeur because of the heartl)reak he 
 found there. And there in the virgin forest of the Illinois country, up 
 tlicre wIkm'c the liill sheered abruptly away to descend to the river and 
 where the fort looked far across tlic Illinois wilderness, the plants called 
 golden seal blossomed in April. 
 
 Goldenseal long ago was used as a tonic; the yellow roots were 
 medicinal and win-e known in the earliest days of the pioneers as a medi- 
 cine to dig in spring. Perhaps LaSalle's Frenchmen knew it; or perha])S 
 they knew nothing of it. The goldenseal Ijlossomed and spread its broad, 
 veiny leaves, and the years went by, one by one, in the forests of the Illini. 
 Fort Creve Coeur fell into ruin. LaSalle died in the far-away Texas 
 country. The Indians were pushed further and further away into the 
 west and Illinois became a state, became populated by people from the 
 south and the east. 'I'he forests were cut, but many woodlands remained, 
 and there each spring the goldenseal came u|) and hloomtMl and spread 
 its veiny leaves. ]t is there today. ]u the woods near the site of tlu' old 
 Fort Creve Coeur the photographei' came upon [he goldenseal. 
 
 Goldenseal rises from a thick yellow rootstock and has a stoul haiiy 
 stem bearing two palmately lobed leaves near the summit. The sti^m 
 terminates in a single flower which has jio petals but is a simple whorl 
 of white stamens which last but a short time. 'I'he fruit is like a deej) red 
 raspberry, (ioldenseal formerly was found throughout the state, but has 
 been almost exterminated by drug-plant collectors. 
 
 35
 
 WHITE BANEBERRY i Dolls Eyes) 
 
 Actaea alba (L.) Mill. 
 
 April 111 a orcamy plume of llowors c()iii])()S(m1 ciitiroly of a wliorl 
 
 Woods of white stanu'ii-s annind a ])istil disk, the white baneberry 
 ill A])iil blooms in the deep hilly woods of Illinois. 
 
 The stamens actually are slender petiils transformed at the tips into 
 stamens. The whole llower eluster is a creamy white idiime standin;? tall 
 on a still' stem above the leafy ])lant. The leaves are dark <rreen. toothed 
 and compound, rather like elderberry leaves, so that Linnaeus in naming 
 the baneberry called it Actaea which is the Greek name for the elder. 
 
 l^anel)eny l)looms in AjJiil. Then in the <rr(>wiiiir leafiness of the 
 woods tlie ])lant is inconspicuous, though it is large. On the end of the 
 llower stalk forms a cluster of green berries which, as late summer comes 
 into the woods, are transformed into something uni«|ue. The stems on 
 which the l)crries grow are caniiine and very stout, almost as thick as 
 the berries themselves. And the oval fruits are china-white with a purple 
 spot at the end. They are often called doll's eyes by children who lind 
 them there, for the resemblance to old-fa.shioned china dolls' eyes is most 
 striking. 'I'he well-sjtaced cluster of white fruits on red stems is one of 
 the ornamental sights of the late summer woikIs. The l)erries. however, are 
 poi.sonous; they have a toxic and dizzying (juality when eaten — hence the 
 old name of baneberry — and should be avoided as foixl. But as something 
 beautiful, something startlingly whit(> in the dark w<M>d.s, the white bane- 
 berry is remarkable. 
 
 Red baneberiT (Actaea rubra) has a similar flower cluster but the 
 fruiting stalk bears brilliant scarlet, shining berries in exact contrast to 
 those of the white, and the leaves are a darker, glossier green. 
 
 3G
 
 WILD GINGER 
 
 Asarum teRexum Bickn. 
 
 April 
 Woods 
 
 A brown thrasher sings, 
 
 the air is like wine, the wild crab 
 apples are blossoming, and the wild ginger flowers have 
 opened secretly and with no ado l)eneath the heart-shaped 
 leaves. All that is visible from above is the mosaic of dull satiny, heart- 
 shaped leaves which stretch in a broad area through the hilly woods. 
 
 But to the wood thrush poking among the leaves, or to the Polygyra 
 snail ambling past on a moist, dewy spring morning, the wild ginger 
 presents a different appearance. Under each pair of leaves — there are 
 two leaves to each plant — there is a strange maroon and white flower 
 lying upon or almost upon the ground. The outside of the flower is furry, 
 as are the stems and undersides of the leaves. Three thinly taperiug divi- 
 sions of the flower bend outward. Inside, the flower is marked geomet- 
 rically and artistically with black to form a pattern of six points around 
 the six stamens and the stout pistil. Hidden though it is, the ginger is 
 an ornamental flower. 
 
 The wild ginger grows from a creeping rootstock which extends 
 itself, branching, in all directions, so that a colony soon forms and be- 
 comes a mat upon the gi'ound. Hardly anything else will grow in the 
 ginger beds because of the dense shade made by the leaves and the 
 monopoly of the roots in the gi'ound. 
 
 The rootstocks are pungent and edible. At one time in America they 
 were dried and candied, like Malayan ginger, with a flavor and spiciness 
 much like the real thing. Even when eaten raw, the ginger i-oot bites the 
 tongue with tnie gingery pungency. 
 
 37
 
 I 
 
 COMANDRA (Bastard Toadflax) 
 
 Comandra umbellata I L. ) Nutt. 
 
 April A small, low plant. \\\o ("oniandra l)lossoms now in 
 
 Woods, prairies April uii the <liv .-tnl ul a li()<:l)atk ridLfi'. It is an 
 
 iiifonspicuous plant, not ei?pecially hcautiiul with its 
 greenish-white llowors, but neat and well arranged witli alternately oval, 
 groy-green leaves. TIk^ comandra. liowevor. is part of its environment, 
 one of the plants which will grow in the dry clay of the hoghack ridge, 
 as well a.s in sandy places and sometimes out on the level j)rairie. 
 
 It is a nieniiier of ihc Sandalwood family which is largely tropical 
 except for three genera. tl;e southern nestronia. the mountain pyrularia 
 or buifalo nut, and the conumdra, low and small and in>ignilicant in 
 the springtime. 
 
 Comandra is firndy lived in its environment. It cannot be trans- 
 planted because its I'oots are parasitic on the roots of trees and shrubs 
 wliere it grows — and there it stays. It stays Just as linnly attached to 
 its host as the larger plant, the sandalwood tree it.self, far away in Poly- 
 nesian forests, is attach(>d to its host plant. 
 
 Thus, remotely but vividly, tlie plants of the world bind the world 
 together in a mysterious netwoik of associations and connections which 
 <mlv superliciallv are understood. The comandra on an Illinois hill, the 
 Sandalwood in Malaya, in Hawaii, in Polynesia, in .Vustralia, both of 
 tlieni members of the same stranue I'amilv. 
 
 ;{S
 
 WILD BLUE PHLOX (Sweet William) 
 Phlox divaricata L. 
 
 April - May Wild blue phlox is in bloom and it is April again. That 
 Woods is the remarkable thing al^out springdime, that jig-saw 
 
 puzzle intricately put together from all the widely scat- 
 tered pieces of itself. Take the dull face of late winter and add a bit of 
 green that looks like new grass, and add a plump robin running impor- 
 tantly across it, and there is the beginning of the puzzle called spring. 
 
 The pieces of the Illinois springtime are scattered widely from 
 Illinois to the Argentine, from the tops of the trees and the open sky 
 to the lowest grasp of root in the earth. Somehow, piece by piece, from 
 far ])laces or from close at hand, they come back or they spring from 
 the ground, or they grow, aud nuigically they all fit together. Each bird 
 which returns from the south adds one more bit to the picture; each wild 
 ilower has its place. And if the spring beauties forgot to bloom, or if a 
 blight hit all the wild blue phlox, how empty would be the April woods, 
 how iuiperfect the ])atteni of the spiing. 
 
 The wild blue phlox or sweet william is spread lavishly through all 
 the oak woods of Illinois, iu uplands and in bottondands, along country 
 roads where once there were woods, and adapts itself agreeably to use 
 in gardens where it usually blooms when the ])ink tuli])s and late datfodils 
 are at their best. 
 
 Wild blue phlox is a tubular flower with five spreading, oblong petals 
 which vary from piuk-lavendei- through many shades of pale lavender 
 and blue-violet, to pure white. The flowers ap])ear in clusters at the ti))S 
 of the slender stems, upon which are ari-angcd several pairs of clasping, 
 dull green leaves. The basal leaves of the blue phlox usually remain green 
 and above ground throughout the year. 
 
 39
 
 SAND PHLOX (Cleft Phlox) 
 
 Phlox bifida Beck. 
 
 April - May Like rri>i) embroidery or delicate lace, the flowers of saiul 
 Cliffs, sands jjhlox are draj)o{l over sandy slopes, in sandy woods, along 
 roads, on sandstone clilis. The slender root sturdily parts 
 a rock to enter and <ri'ow ; or extends dee])ly into the sand where moisture 
 lurks. The ])lants tluMnselves are insignificant. Before the trim, pointed 
 buds open, there is little that attracts the attention to that sunny sand 
 hank where the black jack oaks and red oaks grow, or to the sandstone 
 clilf above tlu' river. Hut on a sunny morning in late April or in early 
 May, the bank is suddenly exciting with ilowers. The sand phlox is in 
 bloom and the sand bank is an enchanted spot. 
 
 The fl()wers are whit^, pale porcelain blue, or faintly lavender-pink, 
 tlu)ugii the blues and whites i)redominate. The ilowers are live-pointed 
 stars whose ])etals are so deei)ly cleft that they appear to be ten petals 
 instead of five. The center of the flower is the mouth of a short tube, in 
 whieh are i)ale yellow stamens and the ])istil. The sand phlox spreads 
 in a mat over the ground or rocks, sends long, thin stems trailing, and 
 everywhere puts out those starry blossoms in the spring sunshine. Then 
 they are finished. A little later, the inconspicuous plants are seldom no- 
 ticed by those who walk there, and not until sjiring will the sand ))hlox 
 again be beautiful enough to stop passing ears or invite the t'xclamations 
 of delight of a passing hiker. 
 
 fi)
 
 TWINLEAF 
 
 Jeffersonia diphylla (L.) Pers. 
 
 April Thomas Jefferson was a man who was deeply interested in 
 
 Woods new ideas, new lands, new plants. In his estate at Monticello 
 he planted flowers and trees from far places and sent for 
 specimens from the hinterlands of the then unexplored America. He rode 
 through the Shenandoahs and was, perhaps, more conscious of the plant 
 life groM'ing there than were most men of his time. And so it was that 
 a new little American wild flower was named Jeffersonia in his honor. 
 Few American presidents have been honored in this manner. There is 
 the Washingtonia palm, and the little Jeffersonia. — perhaps these are all. 
 This is a singularly fitting tribute, for both men were intensely interested 
 in the plants of America. 
 
 Very likely neither saw the Jeffersonia, the twinleaf, because it grows 
 from northern New York across the upper states to Wisconsin and Iowa, 
 and southward a little way so that northern Illinois is included in the 
 range. Now in mid-April there comes a group of oddly shaped leaves, 
 much like a pair of kidneys suspended from the middle of the inner sides 
 to a cun-ing stem. Below the leaves is a white flower with eight oblong 
 petals around a yellow center. Supei-ficially it looks surprisingly like 
 bloodroot. But bloo(h-oot never had leaves like these, and the flower, 
 though much like it, is smaller and has shorter, less ethereal and transient 
 petals than the delicate bloodroot. The latter has yellow juice in the 
 stems and red juice in the root, and these the twinleaf has not . . . twin- 
 leaf, Thomas Jefferson's flower. 
 
 41
 
 WILD LARKSPUR 
 
 Delphinium tricorne Michx. 
 
 April - May Oni.niifiitiil ;is n pii-dm IIow.m-. hriirht as the brightest 
 Grassy woods imrplc or dcliuitcly lavender or (.•hastcly white, the wikl 
 larksjxir grows in tlie blue-grass wooils, in tlie hilly 
 limestone woods, or along roads where once there were wt)ods. AN ild 
 larkspur is one of the most brilliant and arresting of all the Illinois 
 spring flowers. 
 
 In woods where the laik>|)ni- bleoius there llutter the I'apilio butter- 
 flies, the tiger swallowtail and the angulai' zebra swallowtail. The zebras 
 lay theii' eggs on the new ]i,i\\|ia\\ le;i\i's; the tigers ehoo.^je sassafras. 'The 
 briirht black and silver winu< of the zebra swallowtails eonie flitting in 
 jaggi^l llight through the sunlight of the larkspur woods where the 
 pawpaws grow, and the tiger>. bright eanarv yellow and black, fly ap- 
 parentlv in aiinles> fashion througli the trees and over the flowe.i"s. The 
 swallowtails both come to the wild larks|iur llowers, and in .^o doing 
 ])r("S('nt a s])lendi(l contrast in i-olor and line. The larkspur llowers with 
 their fuzzv centers and long sj)urs oiler a somewhat dithcult perch for 
 butterflies, so that they nui.<t cling with wings in motion while the long 
 proboscis ])robes deejjly into the trumpets for neitar. 
 
 Bees. howev(M-. are beli(>ved to be the actual poUinizers of the lark- 
 spur — big black and yellow l)und)lelMM^s making the whole flower stalk 
 shake while they sip nectar from blight purj)le blossoms. Larksjjurs are 
 unable to complete fertilization in them.<elves without the aid of the bees. 
 
 42
 
 PRAIRIE WAKE ROBIN 
 
 (Erect Red Trillium. Bloody Noses 
 
 Trillium recurvatum Beck 
 
 April To many a child in the Illinois country, the prairie wake 
 
 Woods robin means spring. To many a person, this is the only wild 
 trillium that is known, for the white trilliums of several 
 species are not commonly scattered over the whole state. In the middle 
 part of Illinois, where the oak woods predominate as islands in the oiice- 
 prairie cornfields and acres of soybeans, the prairie wake rol)in stands 
 somberly erect on an April day. 
 
 This trillium has the usual trillium arrangement of three spreading 
 leaves; they are often mottled, much in the numner of the adder's 
 tongues, but with a less silvery sheen. The petals of the flower are 
 maroon and stiff, arched above the six tight black stamens which curve 
 over the pistil. Three stiff sepals bend crisply down until they clasp 
 around the maroon stem. This is the red trillium, a grim and almost 
 puritanical-looking flower, but it is nevertheless well known to country 
 children. The children of Xew Salem must have known it in their woods; 
 so did the children of Bishop Hill and Xauvoo and Kaskaskia and 
 Cahokia and Sangamo Town — children of those long-gone pioneer com- 
 munities may have picked b()U(juets of spring flowers and added to them 
 the lank stems of the prairie wake robin. 
 
 It is as much a part of the oak woods in April as the sjiring beau- 
 ties, the dutchnum's breeches, and the yellow violets. These come to- 
 gether, bloom together, vanish together when May comes and June ap- 
 proaches, when the woods prepare for the coming of the shadowv sunnuer.
 
 GREAT WHITE TRILLIUM 
 
 I Large-flowered Wake Robin ) 
 Trillium gcandiflorum (Michx.) Salisb. 
 
 April - May Tin- April sun which niovfs in shafts of misty light 
 
 Northern woods ciirly in the cool hriglit morning shines upon the faces 
 
 of great white trilliunis hlossoniing in the woods. 
 They are there hy dozens, singly, in colonies, in hordes. Huge, clean-cut, 
 with splendid threc-pailcd siinpli(ity which is their greatest charm, the 
 rare white trilliimis i^lcnm in the Illinois woods which still support them. 
 Further north in wildci' roimtiy tiiey still are connnon; in Illinois they 
 seem to he limited to the iioithern third of the state and seldom are 
 found in nunilx'is. purr ;iiui white and tali, in the fragrant April woods. 
 
 Tile great wliiti' tiillmni i> the largot of the tamily. Yet of them 
 all, the great white has more variations and (h'formities in hlossoming 
 than any others. Few other ]ilants, in fact, present so many variations 
 of a single theme. A trillium should he arranged according to the plan 
 of three, with three ))etals, no more, and three leaves, and no more. But 
 there may he one with four i)etals and four leaves, one with two petals 
 and four leaves, one with five petals, six ])etals. eight petals, even twelve, 
 with any numi)er of leaves, or the ])resciil»e(l nund)er of three. Although 
 these monstrosities are heautilnl with their pure white ])etals, they lose 
 that pristine charm of the true and undeforintKl white trillium which, as 
 many religious folk say. exj)resses tiie heauty of the trinity. 
 
 Trilliunis in the woods — the spring 
 
 and sings and moves all ahout them. 
 
 lives and gi'ows and hlossoms 
 
 U 
 
 I
 
 NODDING TRILLIUM 
 
 Trillium gleasoni Fern. 
 
 April - May The leaves are large and broad, bright green and veiny. 
 Hilly woods Three of them extend at angles from the top of the tall, 
 smooth stem, and from the middle curves a flower stem 
 with a white flower on it. The petals roll tightly back, and the flower 
 bends so that usually it hangs below the level of the leaves. This is the 
 nodding trillium in the Illinois woods, the tallest of its tribe. 
 
 It grows in rich, shady woodlands ; the richer the woods, the bigger 
 the ])]ants. Talhoun County produces some which grow almost three feet 
 high with flowers Ave inches in diameter, but this is not the general rule. 
 It is seldom, however, a small plant. Nobly, in its classic plan of three, 
 it ornaments the woods where its more elegant kin. the great white tril- 
 lium, does not grow. 
 
 It is late April or May when the uixlding trillium blooms. The 
 oven-bird has come up from the southern jungles and, on its way to Wis- 
 consin forests, pauses a while in an Illinois woods. On long pink legs 
 the oven-bird walks, teetering its tail, beneath the maya]iple uml)rellas 
 where the cupped white waxen flowers open : pokes among tlie little bright 
 green brittle ferns; pauses a moment to pick an insect from a yellow 
 violet leaf. The oven-bird looks like a snuill tlirush, but has a crown 
 striped with red, black, and buff, and walks, wide-eyed and cautiously, 
 in the underpinning of the woods. It walks under the broadly expanded 
 leaves of nodding tiilliums, then flies to a twig of an oak whose new 
 leaves are pink and velvety, and utters a wild song flung in rising cres- 
 cendoes to the woods, a spontaneous expression of the delight of spring- 
 time. This is spring. Here are birds. And nodding trilliums once again 
 are in full bloom. 
 
 45
 
 SHOWY ORCHIS 
 
 Orchis spectabilis L. 
 
 April - May 'I'hc hrittlc forns arc thoiv. and tlic Christmas ferns. 
 Hilly woods Tlu'rc is a clunij) or two of ebony si)lo(>n\vort on the 
 slope al)ovi' till' foM's' path, and a woodland full of 
 iifwly Icaliii^^ oaks and hickories and black cherries all around it. And 
 there, set ajjart with that elegant, ainot look of orchids, is the showy orchis 
 in splendid clutnps of a'lossv oval leaves and jiick and white llowers. 
 
 They arc never coiiuuoii. Ihit the showy orchi> i> nioi'c i-oininon in 
 many lllin()i> woods tlian arc most of the othei- orcliids. and it is beau- 
 lifiil eiiouub to be known iii>tantlv a> a miMubcr of that fanuly. 
 
 The stout >1em i> set wltli hooded blossom-. The hood is lavender- 
 ro-e and the bi-oad. extended lip i- cianklcd, a puii.'. >parklin_:i' white. The 
 unfuiled buds, peihaps. are even liner than the open flowers. There is a 
 delicate fragrance suggesting that of the cultivated Cattleya. but with 
 an element of wildness and a faintness of scent which makes it part of 
 the Illinois woods. 
 
 In this fragrance and in tbis llower is tlie cuhnination of all that is 
 fragrant and colorful and (ompact of the siiringtime. In the picture are 
 warblers singing in the trees, and a towlice ])oking about in the leaves 
 near the orchid. In it is tbe nndtiple scent of spring, of damiJ earth, 
 blossoming ])lum tree-, and wild crab ajiple llowers. the ])erfmne which 
 is distilled in a night in the woods, and in the new odors of dawn. .\ll 
 the.se things are in the wild orchis in the woods, in the clusters of leaves 
 and the stems with their pink and while lloweis which e.\])ress in their 
 transient blossoming the brief rarity of spring. 
 
 4(;
 
 BISHOPS-CAP 
 
 Mitella diphylla L. 
 
 April - May "Diphylla", two leaved — that is the Inshop's-cap, a 
 Woods simple, spring plant whose thin stem bears two leaves 
 
 which almost clasp about half way up the stalk. It is a 
 stalk set with snowflakes. Xo other ilower, perhaps, is patterned so much 
 like a snowflake, nor holds that resemblance consistently until the flowers 
 are done and the tiny seed pods open to show a pair of glistening black 
 seeds. 
 
 Bishop's-cap lacks one or two qualities of proper snowflakes. In 
 number, the floAver divisions are five instead of the crystalline six; it is 
 not as fragile and fleeting as a snowflake, though a prenuiturely hot day 
 in spring will send it quickly out of bloom. 
 
 The flower is just a cupped calyx from which extend five petals 
 which are so deeply and finely cut that they are thready and snowflake- 
 like without any exaggeration of simile. Perhaps no other Illinois flower 
 has petals of so little substance. 
 
 Bishop's-cap is about six to eight inches tall. It grows in narrow, 
 cool ravines where the soil is deep with old leaf-mold and perpetual 
 moisture, and in oak woods with cool northern slo})es. It blooms in late 
 April and is a member of the varied Saxifrage family. 
 
 47
 
 AMERICAN BLADDER NUT 
 
 Staphylea trifolia L. 
 
 April - May 
 
 River hills, bottomlands 
 
 On the <U'v\), focky liill.-ult' nbove llif nvor, 
 there wliei-e the <\mr hush is in blooiu in a 
 s|);irk](' of ^ohl iiiid tile rose-hroastod fjros- 
 bcak siu^s over autl over aiiaiii in tlio j)a\v|ia\\ tree, thi'iv are low trees full 
 of dan<ilin^^ clusters of small white hells. The llowers are compact, tinged 
 with green. They have protruding stamens and pistils, pleasant little 
 flowers held in well arranii'ed groups which spring on long stems from 
 the axils of the lejives. r>la(hlernut is in hlooni. 
 
 The Anieriean hiailderniit i> a tall >hruh which grows into the pro- 
 poi-tions of a sniali tree. The upper twigs are green with long whitish 
 strii)es. The leaves are compound, in threes, tinely toothed, with ])arallel 
 veins; in groujis of two or three, or nu)re. they sjiring from the woody 
 stems with the llower stems between. 
 
 Soon after the ilowers have fallen to the April earth, the .^eeds begin 
 to form, and these are among the strangest in the Illinois woods. Here 
 are tight, compact, three-parted, inllated balloons. The bladder-}K)ds at 
 first are green and thin-skinned l>ui later in the sunmier they turn brown. 
 In I-".uroi)e the seed- of iiladdermit are used as a substitute for pistachio 
 nuts; it is said that the American bladdernut seeds are of similar flavor. 
 They are extremely hard, however, and dillicult to crack. 
 
 Bladdermit is found in deep woods, especially on the shaded hillsides 
 above rivers and creeks, where clitVs rear high and the earth is black and 
 stonv beneath tall trees. 
 
 48
 
 SPRING CRESS ( Bitter Cress) 
 
 Cardamine bulbosa ( Schreb. ) BSP. 
 
 April - May Where the springs run out of the sandy hillside — 
 
 Swamps, shores where the watercress heds are green and lush in the 
 
 clear, cold spring water, and the wild iris grows where 
 the stream widens into a marsh — there are airy white flowers held deli- 
 cately on thin stems. The spring cress is in hloom. 
 
 Four-petaled like radish flowers, the blossoms are held on graceful 
 stalks above the neat, lobed leaves which all gi'ow from a bulbous base 
 in the moist, sandy, woods soil. 
 
 The little silvery 1)1 ue butterflies, which come to sip moisture along 
 the spring's flow, come flitting by and pause on the white flowers of the 
 cress, sip a moment, and are off again. A Bewick's wren, twitching its long 
 tail here and there in a most reckless abandon, comes hopping past, mut- 
 tering to itself, and cocks an eye up at the flowers, thrusts out a long 
 curved beak and picks off a lady beetle. A box turtle pauses for a long 
 nap close to the bed of spring cress, then in leisure awakens and rea-ches 
 out a slow head to take a bite of cress leaves. 
 
 Spring-time goes on all about the cress flowers. Sun and moon and 
 night and day, the coming of migrant birds and their departure to the 
 north, the crying of whip-poor-wills at twilight and the crying of killdeers 
 out on the mud of the marsh all day and all night. And when the white 
 petals of the sjjring cress finally fall to the ground and the seeds form 
 on the stalks, then indeed the s})riiig is ])ast and smnmer has come into 
 the woods. 
 
 4!)
 
 
 i^^l!/ : ;__r£^-; 
 
 SMALL-FLOWERED BUTTERCUP 
 
 Ranunculus abortivus L. 
 
 April - May In iis iiu'inhcis. tlu' crowfoot family is many and 
 
 Lowlands, woods \;iiii(l. They rauiic t'roiii the littli' ^rwn mouso- 
 
 lail to the aiu'moiu's. meadow riu's, lu'paticas, 
 iiiarsli iiiari,u()lds. inliiiiiliiiics. delphiniums, and huttercups, as well as 
 u luimbor of otiieis. There is little obvious similarity in the ilowers ; one 
 wonders how the systematic i)otanists contrived to <:i-oup all of these 
 ])lants in the all-inclusive group of the Kanunculaceae, the CriAvfoot 
 family. It is believed to be the most ])rimitive <iroup of the llowering 
 l)lants. 
 
 The genus "Ranunculus was named for l^ma, the frog, because of 
 the affinity of certain members to grow in wi't i)laces. The buttercups 
 themselves are an ornamental lot, but there are some other crowfoots 
 which are quite baking in individual charm. Aside from their interest as 
 jilants with their own unitpie characteristics and manner ol' growth, one 
 tind- little to admire in the small-lloweretl butti'rcu|). 
 
 There they ;iic. the le--er ones, the |)oor relation> in a tribe note- 
 worthy for its beaiitilul blossom.-. The small-IIow(Mvd buttercup usually 
 lias a rosette of leaves whiili live above ground through the wintei'. They 
 are broadly oval and scalloped, shiny, and bright green; on a winter day 
 they look very nnich like too-early violet leaves. But by early April the 
 tuft of leaves has s<Mit uj) a stout. Juicy .-talk bearing leaves along it and 
 branches on which ari> snuill. bras.<y-yellow ilowers. They are about a 
 fourth-inch wide. star-sha|)ed. with a b;dl-like center which later becomes 
 seeds.
 
 NARROW-LEAVED PUCCOON 
 
 Lithospermum angustifolium Michx. 
 
 April - May They put a bright spot of color in the woods in 
 
 Sunny hills, prairies spring — bright orange on the clay slope, red- 
 gold among tlie limestone. |)ebl)les, orange-yellow 
 on the cliff; the puecoon is in Itloom. Xow in May when in the woods 
 paler colors predominate and the stronger colors of late summer have 
 not yet made their appearance, puecoon flowers set a blaze of pure pig- 
 ment on the hillslope. 
 
 The puccoons inhabit prairies or woods. The hoary jiuccooii {Litho- 
 spermum canescens) is found witli wild hyacinth in the prairie soil re- 
 maining along railroads or highways. The plants grow from an exceed- 
 ingly long, straight ta])root which goes deeply into the ground. Just below 
 the sui"face the individual stems form and stand erect as a plant of a 
 dozen or more stalks all topped with clusters of bright yellow-orange 
 flowers. They are tubular and spread in five parts to glitter in the sunlight. 
 
 On the gTavelly hill and the dry ridges there blossoms now the 
 narrow-leaved puecoon which perhaps is the most beautiful of all the 
 family. The flowers are crinkled and frilled like some ornamental little 
 petunia. They are jjalc yellow and are [jrodiiccd in clusters at the sunnnit 
 of the short, stem, 'i'he throat of the flower is crested so that few insects 
 except those with long tongues may penetrate to the nectar. Narrow- 
 leaved puecoon is a prairie plant which is found over most of the broad, 
 sunswept, wind-cleaned land from Ontario to Indiana. Illinois, Kansas, 
 and Texas, as well as w(>st\var(l into British ("olumbia, I'tah. and Arizona. 
 Landscapes much different from that of Illinois — dry buttes, broad 
 prairies where the lark buntings nest, the northern camass country, the 
 paint lands of the west — all know thi' briglit little yellow blossoms of 
 the puecoon.
 
 YELLOW STAR GRASS 
 
 Hypoxis hirsuta ( L. ) Covillc 
 
 April - May There is a ehanii in little thin«;s whieh is all out 
 
 Dry wooded hills of |)ro|)()rtion to their siz^e and importance in the 
 
 world. In contrast to the lush weediness of the 
 horseweed whiib. urows loiirteen feet tall in a ^^ood season and is uu- 
 adniircd, the little yellow star .i:rass stands as a ])ei-fe<.-t small plant which 
 grows no t<iller than tliivf inciies or so, and is just as efficient in hloom- 
 ing and living as is the more tremendous horseweed. 
 
 The yellow star grass is an Amaryllis. From a small hairy conn 
 rather deeply set in the heavy clay of an oak hillside, the tiny Anuiryllis 
 in April thrusts foith three to six yellow-green, grass-like, hairy leaves 
 and a few stalks with clusters of huds. Then when the rose-hreasted gros- 
 heaks are hack and the orioles flash in the cherry tre«'s heneath the sun- 
 shine of an April sky, the yellow star grass on a sunny morning opens 
 it* llowers. They are as hiilliant as nuirsh marigolds, as yellow as butter- 
 cups, as golden as daiuhdions. They are jK'rfect little lilies with six oval 
 ])etals and upstanding stamens, and they seldom last more than a <lay. 
 The time of hlooming of the yellow star grass is brief but bright. They 
 star the slopes with sunshine. Tlien they are gone and the leaves .and seed 
 .stalks arc inconspicuous in the heavy growth of sunmier. But inconspicu- 
 ous or not. the leaves produce plant food which is stored in the conn, and 
 then they (pnetly (lisap|)ear and nothing more is seen of the yellow star 
 grass nntil the following A])ril.
 
 GROUND-IVY (Gill-Over-the-Ground) 
 
 Glecoma heterophylla Waldst. ^ Kit. 
 
 April - June 
 Gardens, woods 
 
 A creeping catnip — this is ground-ivy or gill-over- 
 
 dest rover of grass 
 
 the-ground, a common ground cover which, in this 
 capacity, may be verv^ useful or may be reviled as a 
 However, ground-ivy nhnost always grows in the dee]) 
 shade beneath trees where grass is seldom successful, and may be used 
 effectively as a ground cover when other greenery fails to thrive. 
 
 The leaves of ground-ivy are round and scalloped; they are sensitive 
 to frost and vanish early in autumn. Very early next spring, however, the 
 new leaves and stems come forth, and there are innumerable pairs of 
 bright purple, tubular flowers in the axils of the glossy leaves. Ground- 
 ivy often, appears even before the flowers of those other early spring 
 blossoms, the spring beauties and violets, and sometimes is the first 
 flower to be found in bloom. When the flowers are produced in abundance, 
 the effect of a bed of ground-ivy is that of a carpet of purple. 
 
 Ground-ivy is highly aromatic when bruised and contains a bitter, 
 volatile oil which is poisonous to cattle who chance to eat either the green 
 or dried leaves mixed in hay and fodder. The plant, however, is so aro- 
 matic that the nuijority of animals instinctively avoid it; and, in conse- 
 quence, few are ever poisoned by eating it.
 
 FLOWERING DOGWOOD 
 
 Cornus flotida L. 
 
 April - May When the shadhush aiul ivdhud flowers are 
 
 Rocky woods, river hills all hut past, and the fragile petals of the 
 
 \\ ild plums have been scattered to the winds, 
 the (logwood llowers sjjrcad w hitt'ly beneath the sun. Since spring first 
 arrived, the dogwood bi-acts have been exjianding. All winter long on 
 the small trees there wcic round l)uds of pale gicy tipju'd with purplish. 
 "^1 hen as the lirst hint (if spi'ing canie and the sunshine grew wanner, 
 when till' wind at. la>t was in the xtulli. and the cardinals we ro singing, 
 th(^ dogwood bracts cur\iiig around cadi hud slowly opened. Like the 
 
 immature wings of ;l newly emerged th. which expand to full size in 
 
 a Jew mimites. the dogwood brait- now. dav after day. ac(|uire more ot 
 the true character of llowci-s. 
 
 At lirst the llowers are wrinkled and grey-lavender, half an inch 
 long. 'J'hen they bleach to green-white or yellowish white until, on a 
 magnificent nuirning in late .\pril or .May. when birds are singing their 
 great spi-ingtime coiu-ei-t, the sun .-parkles upon the glistening white 
 buttei'lly llowers of the dogwood. 
 
 The four bracts are now white. They form what a])])ears to be a 
 four-petaled llower, hut the true (lowers themselves are tiny, tid)ular. 
 and greenish yellow in a cluster in the ctuiter of the bracts But the 
 technicalities of whether the dogwood's spring pcM'formance deals in bracts 
 or in true flowers matter very little on a bright spring day when the 
 hills are s))lashed w ith dogwood snow. 
 
 Dogwood follows the limestone and sandstone hills along the rivers 
 soutliward through Illinois, south through the southern hills and down 
 the Mississippi into the far .st)uth. 
 
 r.4
 
 VIRGINIA BLUEBELLS (Cowslips) 
 
 Mertensia virginica ( L. ) Pers. 
 
 April - May It is May. next door to summer, and some- 
 
 Hilly woods, bottomlands times summer itself makes its appearance 
 
 in Illinois before May is half done. Hot 
 weather hurries the migrating birds into the north, speeds leaf-growth 
 on the trees, hastens the spring flowers into olilivion. 
 
 Yet the Illinois May can be slow and cool. It may be a period of 
 soft rains in which the blur of wild crab apple flowers is like wet pink 
 silk, full of the flitting of migrant warblers and tlu' piping of white- 
 throated spaiTows among the leaves. 
 
 May is all these things. And it is the masses of bluebells in the 
 alluvial bottomland woods, there where the creek or the river each year 
 overflows and leaves rich black earth when the water recedes again. Now 
 on a May morning the bluebells in the bottoms are crisp and bright blue, 
 fluted bells with slim tubes and flaring skirts. The 1nids are apple-blossom 
 pink; the expanding flowers are i)urple-rose ; then they are that incom- 
 parable blue which no other flower in Illinois can quite approach. The 
 pale gTeen, thin leaves below these masses of dangling bells are oval and 
 juicy on the stout, watery stems supporting masses of delectable flowers. 
 
 Bluebells grow from black, gnarled brittle roots set deeply in the 
 heavy soil, as well as in the looser soil of wooded hills. The young plants 
 in spring are dull purple; the tiny clusters of pale blue and piirk buds 
 come up with the leaves. The plants (piickly grow, blossom, then the 
 leaves turn yellow, the plants shriv(>l, retreat into the roots, and by 
 summer there is no evidence, among the nettle jungle in the bottoms, of 
 all those spring bluebells so lately gone away. 
 
 ■)■)
 
 j|^4|I^WMf^ 
 
 MAYAPPLE (Mandrake) 
 Podophyllum peltatum L. 
 
 April - May 
 Oak woods. 
 Cut-over pastures 
 
 before it ))]()oins. W 
 hlossoininu" nhmt is 
 
 W'lhii thr coiiiral wliitf shoot starts forth from the 
 loiiu' root III' the niiiyaj)|)le and in April emerges with 
 thill white skin, the mayaijple is on its way through 
 the liist of a luiniher ol' ciianges in appearance 
 hell the sheath .-|)lits. tlie jihiiit pushes Upward. A 
 kiKiwii (■\i'ii now hv the small ijreeni.^h-white hud 
 which is perched at the top ol the stem, with the two hron/.y leaves neatly 
 roHe*! and wrapped helow it. ^'ouiiger plants which will not hloom have 
 only one leal. In a lew diiys of mild iiioi>t weather, the leaves begin to 
 unlurl, .so that the young mayapple j)lants stand l)road-s])read in the sun. 
 The firm white stem rapidly grows upward to its a])point(Ml height of 
 about a foot. .Maya|)ples do not grow singly. They are c«iloiiial and ol'teii 
 covei" hidad areas in the woods. 
 
 There in the plea.sant May morning tlie iiiayapi)li' llower opens a 
 broad, white, cupped, waxen blossom which has a superficial (piality of 
 the dove on-hid llower. though it ai-tually is not at. all like it. There are 
 curving thick petals around the cluster of golden stamens and the stout 
 green, barrel-shaped pistil. 
 
 For a week or so the mayapple cohmies are all in bloom. Then 
 as May advances, the petals fall and the ripeiu'd pistil e.\])ands greenly 
 and unobtrusively all >ummer long. The nuiyapple leaves grow leathery 
 and .sometimes ragged; they turn yellow and brown and most of them 
 disappear by late summer. l>y then the fruit has grown to the shape and 
 size of a small lemon and is pale yellow, full of silvery, edible jjulj). The 
 roots, stems, and leaves, however are said to be poisonous. 
 
 50
 
 WILD CRABAPPLE 
 
 Malus ioensis ( Wood ) Britt. 
 
 April - May April rain drips from the purple-black twigs of the 
 
 Roadsides, woods wild crab apple trees, pearls the pink buds and the 
 
 crisp, spicy flowers, mats the petals, studs the new 
 grey-gi-een leaves. The fragrance of the wild crab apple flowers fills the 
 moist, soft air, a Dianthus-like fragTance, a perfume which is peculiarly 
 part of the Illinois country when it is spring and the whole tremulous 
 pattern of growth unfolds in an April rain. 
 
 The white-throated sparrows pipe in the wet leaves beneath the pink- 
 flowered trees. A wood thrush in a tree top offers a soulful carol to the 
 grey sky. Insects are quiescent in the rain, but a keen-eyed little kinglet 
 flits about busily hunting for minute gnats. And the fragrance of the 
 pink flowers is one with the April song and movement and color. 
 
 The wild crab apple trees are low and gnarled and spiny. They make 
 a thicket at the edge of the woods or along the road, low, not especially 
 conspicuous except when they put pink bouquets across the countryside. 
 Quickly, as the flowers go and the oval leaves mature, they assume their 
 uniform sjeen color of summer. And in the midst of the leaves little 
 green apples fonn. 
 
 In September, in October, as the leaves fall and the polished stems 
 show again, there are yellow-green, sticky apples which have as unique a 
 fragrance as the flowers did in spring. The rich pungence of the wild 
 crab apples, like the smell of autumn leaves, is part of the Illinois 
 autumn. The apples are hard; they are exceedingly sour. They twirl 
 gently on their stems in the late autumn sunshine, then drop with small 
 thuds to lie mellowing on the ground. .Many lie there all winter long, 
 odorous under snow and leaves, and soften sufficiently in spring to be 
 pecked apart by newly arrived robins. 
 
 57
 
 GREEK VALERIAN (Bluebells. Jacob's Ladder) 
 
 Polemonium reptans L. 
 
 April - May l)lui'l)clls. tho cliildicii called ihciiu ami pithercd 
 
 Woods, roadsides liaiHlslul of the thin green stems with their racemes 
 
 ol pale hliic liellllo\ver.s. Where the Virginia hluebell 
 did not grow, the cabin children of Illinois knew the flowers of Greek 
 valerian as bluebells, and took boiKiuets to their mothers and teachers. 
 
 Greek valerian grows in a l»ushy, low plant in which many stems 
 spring np from a perennial rootstock. Each stem is hung with the round- 
 petaled, little sky-colored bells with their curled white stamens. They 
 la.st a long time in bloom, for they begin in late April and there still are 
 a few ])ale llowers when shade has come to the woodlands and late May 
 approaches June. 
 
 The leaves of Greek valerian are com|H)und, with narrow, oval 
 leaflets of shiny daik green arranged nnich like fern leaves from the 
 base of the plant and along the llowcr stems. 
 
 Greek valerian is a member ol the IMilox laniily. but has little of 
 the family resemblance. It is at its best in the rocky, hilly woods, there 
 where the leaf-mold is deep and cool, where moss beds are green and. in 
 the pleasant dewy dampness of dawn the snails move on slimy trails 
 across the leaves and moss. Lady bwtles which bad gathered in a crowd 
 of dozens beneath leaves near the valerian are out hunting early aphids, 
 and crawl up the valerian stems in search of food. 'I'hey are all part of 
 that picture of a jjarticular woodland the blue valerian bells, the insects, 
 the snails, tho pearls of nu)isture on the leavi'.s. the crisp moss, the song 
 of a veerv in tlie haw bushes. 
 
 08
 
 CALAMUS (Sweet Flag) 
 Acorus calamus L. 
 
 April - May Fragrant along the pond's edge and in the pasture 
 
 Swamps, ponds rividet grow the beds of calamus, the sweet flag. 
 
 Shining and dark bright green, the ridged, sword-like 
 leaves quiver in the wind and rain, liend flat in a storm, rise again, or 
 are crushed where the cows on a hot da)- bed down in the cool and 
 aromatic leaves. 
 
 Calamus grows in broad colonies, not as a single plant. The traveling 
 rootstock sends up stalk after stalk; the colony becomes an underground 
 mat of white roots with hundreds upon hundreds of leaves standing erect. 
 
 In spring there emerge from certain stalks — they look like leaves 
 l)ut properly are not — spikes of yellow, pollen-laden flowers. These are 
 much like the lower part of the spadix of the jack-in-the-pulpit, to which 
 family it belongs, but there is no spathe to curl itself over or around 
 the spadix. The elongation of the green flowering stalk, however, may 
 be called a spathe of sorts, though it does not enclose the spadix at all. 
 Rather, this juts from the stem and gleams in the sun, is host to early 
 insects and then, in sunmier, forms a tight club of green fruits. 
 
 The entire calamus plant is aromatic from the root to the tip of 
 the leaf and the flower itself. It is a pleasant fragrance, enhanced when 
 chewed, and the root for many generations since the time of the Indians 
 has been used as an aid in relieving the discomfort of dyspepsia and 
 colic. As such it is even now in the pharmacies under the old name of 
 calamus. 
 
 59
 
 April - May 
 Deep woods 
 
 GREEN VIOLET 
 
 Hybanthus concolor (Forst.) Sprcng. 
 
 'I'lit'v c.ill it a violet, but at least the botanists put the 
 
 .uiccii violet ill a sej)aratc genus. Hybanthus, under the 
 
 ianiily of ^'ioIaceao, the violets. Else it would seem more 
 
 out of place in such elegnnt ooini)any than it does. Green violet looks very 
 
 much like a small, coiniii()ii|il;Kc. uninspiring, unbeautiful weed. But the 
 
 flower has the same structure as a violet. 
 
 Superiicially it may appear a.s nn-violetlike as any pl.mt one might 
 fin'l — a tall stem, hairy, with long tapering leaves set alternately ui)on 
 it, and, in the ;i\ils of the leaves, queer little green flowers of a peculiar 
 shape. But on e.xjiiiiining these little flowers under a magnifying glass, 
 one who is not a botanist may discover .'Something surprising. That little 
 green thing really does look something like a violet. The color is all 
 wrong, of coui-se; a green 11ow(m- nlways looks like something imborn, 
 something too s(M)n out of the bud and uncolored as yet by the sunshine. 
 i)ut green violets stiiy green. Their tiny green petals enclose a seed- 
 producing mechanism, ii pod, whieh is properly violet-like and thus puts 
 the green violet automatically into an oidci' of ll(.wer> noted for beautifid 
 blos.^oms. 
 
 CIrccn violet is found not lomiiionly but occasionally in Illinois, in 
 moist ravines, in wwids along creeks, in woods rich in moist leaf mold 
 and shaded bv tall trees. 
 
 GO
 
 BIRD-FOOT VIOLET (Crowfoot Violet) 
 
 Viola pedata L. 
 
 April - May Where the prairie hills lie like supine animals 
 
 Prairie hills, upon whose long forms the ruddy prairie grass 
 
 sandy woods, rocks blows like fur, the bird-foot violets bloom in 
 
 spring. They are creatures of spring winds and 
 the dry loess hills, of sandhills and clay slopes, of rocky places in sunny 
 woods, of sunny places among the black jack oaks and red cedars. Com- 
 pact and low, the little plants grow from tough prairie soil and produce 
 blossoms which are super violets. The flowers are larger than those of 
 ordinary violets and the little plants are much smaller. This tends to 
 exaggerate them, to make them more akin to cultivated plants than to 
 the wild, which so often isi more prodigal in the size of its leaves than 
 its flowers. 
 
 The bird-foot violet is a pale sky-blue-lavender with an orange pistil 
 tipped with pale green, protruding from the beardless center of the 
 flower. The oblong petals spread wide. The leaves are on short stems 
 and are so deeply cut into narrow lobes that they appear almost com- 
 pound. They may be only the size of a fifty-cent piece, cut deeply to the 
 veiy center where the stem springs. 
 
 One variety of the bird-foot violet th;it is coiuiiKin in Illinois is 
 often called variety ooncolor in contrast to the riircr one having the 
 two upper dark pur})le and the three lower lilac-purple. This is often 
 termed variety hicolor. Occasionally a white-flowered one is found which 
 may be called variety alba 
 
 Gl
 
 PRAIRIE VIOLET 
 
 Viola pedatifida G. Don. 
 
 April - May In the N'iold trilu tlicrc an' Iwo types of growth. 
 
 Prairie roadsides TIumv mic stcinlcss violets and vjolfts with true stems: 
 
 it's ii'< simph" as that, their division. The .<o-i'alled 
 stemless violets are like ihc coniinon blue violet and many others which 
 liave leaves and llowcrs on x'paratc .-talks I'i.-inu- from the true slmi. 
 This is really a thick, gnarly rootstoek urouinii- horizontally in the 
 ground. The stonmed violets have true stalks whieh rise from a librous 
 root. Ijcaves are })laced alternately uptm the foi'king stem, and the ilowers 
 on thin petioles s])rinu- from the axils of the leaves. The.«<e Howers produce, 
 seeds; in the steiidess violets, the colored ilowers seldom make seeds. 
 Instead, in sununer they produce short-stalked, green, fat. seed-making 
 Ilowers which have no jjctals. These are called cleistogamous lloweis; they 
 make large (piantities of seed-. These are dispersed when tlif three-parted 
 ])ods l)urst in lati' sununer and they usually germinate in great ahundance 
 to nuike many new violet seedlings. 
 
 One of the stendess species is the pi'airie violet. Its tlowei's are 
 liirht lavendei--l)lue with a w liite-fuiii'd throat. Thev stand on loni:- ihin 
 stems above the leavi's whiih appear almost as if someone had taken 
 common blue violet leaves and with scissors had lobed them dee])ly. The 
 leaves of ]'i()l(i jtcilaiifiihi .somewhat re.send)le the still inore dee]dy cut 
 leaves of the bir(i-foot violet, but the Ilowers arc not large and their sha])e 
 and color prove them to be true j)rairie violets instead. They are found 
 on open jirairie soil between \\w railroad tracks and highways in many 
 places in the state. 
 
 62
 
 HAIRY BLUE VIOLET 
 
 Viola soToria Willd. 
 
 April - May 
 Woods, roadsides 
 
 There is little difference between the hairy blue 
 \iolet and the common blue; sometimes they are 
 almost indistinguishable. Their main difference is 
 this: the connnon blue violet is smooth; the hairy blue violet has a fine 
 silky-hairy stem and smaller, more finely toothed leaves. The flowers 
 usually are a paler lavender blue. But both are loved by almost everyone 
 who knows any flowers at all. 
 
 Violets have been a great boon to pickers of spring flowers. By the 
 very abundance of violets, the strain on the rarer flowers is partially 
 lessened. For although trout lilies, lady's slippers, trilliums, and many 
 more, may be destroyed by picking, the violet ])lants seem none the worse 
 for the ordeal. It is difficult to kill violet plants by over-picking. They 
 multiply I'apidly l)y extending their rootstocks. in addition to the manu- 
 facture of abundant seeds by means of cleistogamous flowers in summer. 
 Violets, therefore, are common, which is indeed a fortunate circumstance, 
 for in their popularity they might long since have vanished from the land. 
 Violets were known and loved long ago in ancient Greece and Eome; 
 they have been made into perfume and poetry and paintings and corsages. 
 In the United States, four states call the violet their special emblem — 
 Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Now into the woods 
 and swamps and meadows and roadsides and gardens of an April land, 
 blue violets once again come into blossom and fulfill a certain promise 
 of the spring. 
 
 The wild blue violet which is tlie state flower of Illinois usually is 
 identified by naturalists as the smooth meadow blue violet {Viola 
 papUionacea), but there are about a dozen species of these beautiful 
 flowers. The best known and most widely distributed is ])erhaps the hairy 
 blue violet, (Viola sororia). while almost as common in the wet woods is 
 the marsh blue violet. (Violit cucullata). 
 
 63
 
 OVATE-LEAVED VIOLET 
 
 Viola Ambriatula Sm. 
 
 April - May AVlion late April brings new loaves like cut-out. pink and 
 Hilly woods white velvet on the oak trees, and when on the dry clay 
 hills of the oak woods the trout lilies are out of bloom, 
 there may come the neat ]jlants of ovate-leaved violets with their purple 
 ilowers. 
 
 These are conii)act violet j)lants: the connnon l)lue violet is some- 
 times untidy in apjK'.iranie. hushy iind leafy in contrast. The ovate-leaved 
 violet's leaves are nairow, neatly scalloped, on stems which often are 
 short enough to permit the flower stems to stand well above them. Here 
 above the si)ade-slia])efl, dark green loaves are ])right ])ur})le violets. They 
 are broader than tlie lonunon violet's ilowers, usually are a brighter, 
 clearer pur]»le, and there is less white fur near the center of the llowcr 
 than is found in many other violets in Illinois. 
 
 The ovate-leaved violet is one of those uncommon six>cies which fre- 
 (piently is overlooked simjjly because to mnny ryes a violet is a violet, 
 regardless of sj)ecies. It hai»i)ens that in the eastern states aJone there 
 are forty-five species of violets, as listed in draifs Ma mini of Botany. In 
 the west there are many more. In each species, the Ilowers almost all 
 boar the typical violet shape — two petals above, two at the side, a 
 trough-shajHHl petal at the bottom, a short, .<ac-like tube at the back where 
 the nectar lies, and a small yellow aj)crture in the center of the flower 
 where insects probe for nectar. The colors of violets vary from white to 
 yellow and from pale lavender to deep jnirjjle. 
 
 G4
 
 LANCE-LEAVED VIOLET 
 
 Viola lanceolata L. 
 
 April - May These little white violets are often not more 
 
 Moist acid sandy soils than three inches high, the flowers are small, 
 
 delicate with dark red lines leading to the 
 center and they are fragrant with a strong, pervasive scent. The leaves are 
 from two to five inches long and about a half inch wide, tapered at both 
 ends with reddish petioles. 
 
 They belong to the picture of spring in the north. Yet these violets 
 are very common in some poorly drained moist sandy fields in Lee, Cook 
 and Kankakee counties in northern Illinois and in a few other rare 
 hidden southern places in this state. 
 
 Although most Avhite violets are creatures of the north — tlie little 
 lance-leaved violet of the glacial sands around northern lakes, the small 
 sweet white violets in a sphagnum bog or in a wet swale, the Canada 
 violet of the highlands. The pale or striped violet (Viola striata) is a 
 blossom for everyone to find and enjoy. It is spread fairly abundantly 
 through the woods and along the streams in Illinois, and blooms steadily 
 from the middle of April until June. 
 
 This violet begins with a low, compact plant down in the grass of 
 the sunny woods. The flowers are creamy white with blue bee-lines on the 
 lower petal, and long, cream-colored fur in the center of the flower. I'he 
 stems at this stage are short, the leaves small. Then as the season advances 
 and shade gi'ows, the pale violet's plant grows, too. The stem becomes 
 long and rather weak, the deeply toothed stipules at the axils of the 
 leaves are long and ragged. The flowers, on thin stalks, are smaller now 
 and have narrower petals. But the charm of a white violet is still there 
 until at last in June the flower ceases blooming until another springtime 
 comes to the woods. 
 
 65
 
 SMOOTH YELLOW VIOLET 
 
 Viola eriocatpa Schw. 
 
 April -May Certain flowers are found together. Almost invariably if 
 Oak woods one finds a particular species in a ])articular place, he 
 Jinds others which belong in that same association of 
 plants. Thus, when it happens that spring has come hack and the oak 
 woods are in bloom, yellow violets blossom in comjjany with red trilliums. 
 Dutclnnan's breeches, mayajiplcs, and wild blui' phlox. Find one. find 
 lliciii all — almost always. 
 
 The smooth yellow violet is one of the hranched sjjccies of that 
 extensive clan. The stems are smooth and yellow-green and are nnuli 
 branched. The leaves are h('art-sha]ied. tlu> sha])(' of tho>(^ found on the 
 conniion blue violet. Tlie llowcrs are l)i)rne on long, thin stems and are a 
 bright butter yellow with delicate brown hair-lines along which insects 
 are guided to the nectar. 
 
 The yellow violet comes at a time when liie is reiiliy awakening in 
 earnest in the oak woods. The snails are out in the good nutisture of an 
 April morning. Theri> i< a shining black salamander under a log. a sala- 
 mander which in the ^oH Ajjril night went to the |)ond to lay its eggs. 
 Ijast night, too. the toads were trilling softly in the woods. The whip- 
 ])0()r-wills lame baik and added their own urgent voices to the night 
 chorus. Nr>w in the .spring sunshine there is a nunirning cloak butterlly 
 flitting about in search of a willow on which to hiy c^^^. Beneath a spice 
 bush a towhoe has nuide its nest aiul stratehes energetically among the 
 leaves. .^]iring. Oak woods. Yellow violi>ts. 
 
 6G
 
 BLUE COHOSH (Papoose Root. Squawroot) 
 
 Caulophyllam thalictroides (L.) Michx. 
 
 April-May It is a strange, aloof plant, the blue cohosh, as it stands 
 Woods in the damp April woods. There is nothing else quite like 
 
 it, this member of the Barberry family, for although it is 
 related to mayapples, barberries, and Oregon grape, it seems to have little 
 which connects it in appearance with these dissimilar plants. 
 
 I'p tlu-ough the damp leafmold of the northern woods there rises 
 a single pale, downy stem from a knotty root. The stem bears a single 
 leaf or two, each of which actually appears to be three groups of three 
 leaflets much resembling those of meadow rue or Thalictrum, hence the 
 specific name. The true leaf, however, is so divided that it appears to 
 be more than one. Above it stands a loose cluster of flowers. They are a 
 pale, brassy, greenish lavender with six blunt sepals and a curious center 
 composed of six small, pouched petals. There are six stamens and a 
 single pistil. Aloof and tall among the April llowers covering the forest 
 floor, the plant of blue cohosh stands alone. 
 
 In August, in place of the flowers, there is a loose cluster of military- 
 blue fruits which are soon eaten l)y birds. The leaves by this time have 
 hardened and have g"ro\\ n dark green, but still are no more abundant 
 than before. 
 
 Papoose root, blue, cohosh, squaw I'oot, bluebeiTv — these all are names 
 given to Caulophyllum tlialictroidrs-. livery one of its names has meaning. 
 C'aulophyllum means stem-leaf, since the stem seems to form a stalk for 
 the great compound leaf. The medicinal root was used by the Indians as 
 ;in antispasmodic in infant convulsions — papoose root— and as an aid in 
 (|uiek childbirth — sfjuawroot. Th(> bright blue fi'uits easily gave it the 
 name of blueberry. 
 
 67
 
 UPRIGHT YELLOW WOOD-SORREL 
 
 Oxalis strict a L. 
 
 April - June '^'.'^our-grass-', tlie children call the leaves of yellow- 
 
 Lawns, gardens oxalis, or call the seeds "pickles"' and gather them for 
 doll feasts or for brief refreshment during play. For 
 the yellow wood-soiicl is imt truly a woodland species, hut comes into 
 liasturei*, gardens, and lawns where the soil is somewhat acid, blooms its 
 l)right buttercup-yellow ilowers and makes innumcrabk' fat green seeds. 
 J-ike the oth(M- nuMnbiM's of the w(>!)d-si)rr(d family, the entire plant is 
 acid. Tile liii^lit giccii leaves aic t liii'e-|)ailed. faih section heart-shaped. 
 It is said that the origii)aI Iri-li -li.iimock was an oxalis with this same 
 ])Ian of leaf. 
 
 ^'ellow• wood-soncl begins to bloom in April and continues to blos- 
 som st<?adily during most of the summer, seeds itsell. and sends uj) a 
 ncnv cro]) of plants before the seascm is over. There are several species 
 w Inch bear yellow flowers, as well as the more rare violet wood-sorrel and 
 the white oxalis. The latter is a ])lant of the cool nin-thern bogs and 
 moist, mossy, coniferous woods: the violet wood-sorrel of Illinois oak 
 woods and rocky ])laces from Massachusetts to Minnesota and southward, 
 while the yellow })refers sunny, sandy .<oil. 
 
 There arc two yellow-llowered sorrels in Illinois that are often con- 
 fused. Oxalis siricta is often found in open fallow fields and pastures but 
 sometimes comes into open woods. It is usually biamhed at the base and 
 its ca]isides are finely ])ul)escent. The connnon yellow wood-soiTcl (OraJis 
 cynidsa), has ilowers similar to the above species, but does not branch 
 near the base and is strictly a woodland plant. It is often two feet tall 
 with scattered flowers followed by nearly smooth capsules. 
 
 68
 
 VIOLET WOOD-SORREL 
 
 Oxalis violacea L. 
 
 April - May It was early May in the Kickapoo Valley 
 
 Oak woods, dry slopes when the photographer came upon violet 
 
 wood-sorrel in bluom in the oak woods. He 
 found it in the sort of place in which it usually grows — the acid soil 
 where black oaks and pignut hickories and yellow star grass are found, 
 a sour soil to support a sour plant. For the word Oxalis means sour, 
 because of the acidulous leaves and the watery, acid stem. 
 
 To the hiker, the sorrels are peculiarly pleasant to find on a warm 
 day in spring. The leaves and stems as well as the tight green pods of 
 seeds are all acid to the taste and are almost as refreshing as a glass of 
 fresh spring water. The three-parted shamrock leaves often have been 
 used in salads, but should be used sparingly because of the oxalic acid 
 which they contain, and which is not good when taken in too great a 
 quantity. 
 
 The violet wood-sorrel has five-parted, lavender-rose flowers on 
 slender, smooth, purplish stems, usually several flowers to a stem. All 
 the leaves and flower stalks spring separately from the hairy little brown 
 corm from which slender roots go down into the dry soil. This is unlike 
 the yellow sorrels which have branching stems. The leaves of Oxalis vio- 
 lacea are silver}^ green with red blotches on each of the heart-shaped 
 leaflets. They are sensitive to changing hours of daylight and fold them- 
 selves together at sundown, to remain so until the increasing light rays 
 of dawTi open them wide again. 
 
 G9
 
 JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT (Indian Turnip) 
 Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott 
 
 April - May Gloaniinc: like a cre<ation in pale green wax, the 
 
 Deep woods, slopes Jntk-in-llio-puljiit stands erect and perfect in 
 
 tlie s])nngtinie sunlight. Here is a plant whose 
 economy of design is complete as it stands : this is it. There will be no 
 more growth of leaf or stem this year. Here is a sheath around the base 
 of the stem, a stem wliicli forks just above the sheath so that one fork 
 becomes a flower stalk and the otlier a leaf stalk. Both are mottled with 
 pale puq)le or simply are pale gi*een and watery inside, yet nevertheless 
 are stiff and erect. The Jack-in-tho-pulpit seldom or never reclines; it 
 is alert, as if st<anding cris])ly at attention. 
 
 The top of the petiole (sometimes there are two) is composed of 
 three spreading green Icallct^ niranged triangularly. The veining is 
 prominent; this is part of the beauty of the Jack-in-the-j)uli)it leaf. The 
 ilowering stem is more slender and at its tip is a uniipie creation in these 
 American woods: this is tlu' .la(k-in-th('-j)ulpit itseU' and there is noth- 
 ing else like it. The i)ul|)it is an enclosing green sheath with a flap held 
 high at the top, surrounding and protecting a stiff green spadix (the 
 Jack itself) at the bottom of which are the true flowers. The upper part 
 of the s])adi\ is sniootli and ])ale green. It tapers and constricts past its 
 middle, and below this are tiny, closely packed, yellow staminate flowers 
 or tiny given, knobby, pistillate flowers. 
 
 The Jack-in-the-pulpit grows, as the gi'een dragon does, from a flat 
 conn containing irritating rapliide crystals. In using the conn or "Indian 
 turnip'' for food, however, the Indians boiled it and thus rendered the 
 crvstals soft and hannless. To the uninitiated, the raw root on the tongue 
 may be a dreadful e\]ierience. 
 
 70
 
 I^HHir^^R HSbJIL f ' 
 
 ■p"*. ^' 
 
 1 j&r^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 c!j1 
 
 aii^^rf's C^'^^N .%'^^R 
 
 DRAGON ARUM (Green Dragon) 
 
 Atisaema dtacontium (L.) Schott 
 
 April - May There is nothing at all like the gTeen dragon in the Illi- 
 Deep woods nois woods. The name dmcontkim and the appearance, 
 which is indeed somewhat dragon-like, produce a slightly 
 sinister aspect in a common spring flower. It does not seem much like 
 a flower, although the dragon arum blooms and produces seeds. The 
 flower is all gi*een Avith a long, protruding orange or yellow tip of the 
 spadix extending beyond the green envelope in which are the true flowers. 
 These are arranged on a club or spadix, as in the closely related Jack-in- 
 the-pulpit, and later they form seeds. 
 
 Thrusting a stiff, white, pointed shoot through the spring oak woods, 
 the dragon arum appears in April. The folded leaves and stem are en- 
 closed at first in this white sheath, and later it remains around the base 
 of the mottled, pale green stem. This extends straight upward with the 
 leaves drooping above ; then suddenly the T-sha]:)ed stem and leaves take 
 fonn. The oval, thin, dark green and veiny leaves are attached to this 
 cross-piece in a semi-circular manner to make a diadem of glossy green 
 leaves. With all this ado of herbage, the flower, is something of an anti- 
 climax. It is not particularly l)oautiful. But later in the summer the 
 spadix has formed a magnificent club of shining dark green fruits. By 
 October these have turned brilliant crimson. Each individual berry 
 catches the sunlight; it is one of tlio fine sights of the woods (m an 
 autumn day in Illinois. 
 
 Dragon arum gi-ows from a solid etirm \\'1iich is set not very deeply 
 in the ground. Like the corm of Jack-in-the-pulpit, this contains sharp- 
 spiked crystals called raphides which are violently irritating when taken 
 into the mouth. 
 
 71
 
 WILD GERANIUM (CrancsbilO 
 Geranium maculatum L. 
 
 April - May Kin to thnt wild rod goraninm of the Africnn veld, sent 
 Sunny woods lo liullaiid to become the ancestor of all cultivated gera- 
 niums, the pale pink wild geranium of the Illinois 
 woods comes into bloom when April is almost over and ^lay is on the land. 
 
 The wild geranium is unlike many spring ilowers in that it produces 
 a good sized plant bei'ore it blooms. Since it comes later than those earliest 
 flowers which send np their loaves and flower buds ready for immediate 
 action, the wdld geranium takes its time. The leaves come up as early 
 as tht> earliest dutehman's brecchos and spring beauties — small. Ix'auti- 
 fully fonncd, rose-colorod leaves bent down over a small curving stem. 
 Slowly they expand until the leaves stand on foot-long stalks around the 
 base of the plant. In the midst rise the flowering stiilks. There usually 
 is a single whorl of loaves — porhajis three to six deeply toothed and 
 divided leaves, veiny, hairy, dark greon. From the stem whore the leaves 
 spring outward, the flowering stalks bear a loose cluster of large, single 
 flowers. Their resemblance to a single cultivated geranium flower is 
 marked ; the color is lavondor-pink, of varying degrees of intensity de- 
 pend! ug upon the amount of sun they receive. 
 
 The wild geranium has a remarkable anungement to prevent self 
 pollination. It ha,s lost the power of self-fertilization, but instead ripens 
 first the outer, then the inner row of anthoi-s. As soon as the pollen has 
 been removed from the anthers they are immediately shed to prevent 
 any chance of self-pollination. Xot until the stamens are sterile will the 
 stigmas of the five-parted pistil become fertile to receive pollen from 
 other geranium flowers. 
 
 i2
 
 FALSE SPIKENARD fSolomon's Plume) 
 
 Smilacina tacemosa ( L. ) Desf. 
 
 May Like a creamy white plume, the flowers of the false spikenard 
 
 Woods emit a delicate scent in the spring woods. The tall spike bends 
 in an arc beneath the oaks. False spikenard is one of the mid- 
 spring flowers of Illinois, one which often carries its bloom well past 
 mid-May when the warblers are at their height of abundance and summer 
 is just over the horizon. 
 
 False spikenard grows with a degree of elegance not found in all 
 plants; it is in its character to hold its glossy, ribbed, bright green leaves 
 sharj^ly at angles, alternately on the stem, with the single plume of 
 flowers at the top of the stem. It neither branches nor varies from this 
 plan. Usually the creeping rootstocks send up many plants so that false 
 spikenard, like the false Solomon's seal, gi'ows well accompanied by its 
 own kind. 
 
 May. The leaves have come on the oaks and shagbarks and the shade 
 grows deeper in the woods. The last of the morels spring up in the moist 
 sandy soil ; a day or two of heat and they are finished. The redbuds are 
 out of bloom; so are the Avild crabs and plums; the breath of June is on 
 the land and the time of small, concise woods flowers is quickly passing. 
 
 But beneath the arching stems of the false spikenard the Kentucky 
 warbler may have built a nest of gTass wreathed around in a cup, and 
 there are five russet-speckled Qgg^. ^^^^en at last the stamen-filled flower 
 head of the spikenard falls away and lets petals and stamens scatter into 
 the nest and on the ground, summer at last is here and the spikenard 
 fruits are developing. By late summer and early autumn the little berries 
 are translucent red or speckled white and red. By Octolier they are clear 
 caiTnine fruits which the roljins eat, and which, ])erhaps, the last 
 migrating Kentucky warbler pauses a moment to pluck and eat before 
 going on to the south. 
 
 73
 
 FALSE SOLOMONS SEAL 
 
 Smilacina stellata ( L. i Desf. 
 
 May Anioiiir the lilies, Avliich it outwardly resembles very 
 
 Sandy woods little, is the false Solomon's seal. In this plant the 
 llowers are built according to tlie prescribed lily i)lan 
 of six — three sepals and three petals, which combine to make six petal- 
 like parts. There are six stamens; and the end of the pistil is three parted. 
 The scx^d has throe cavities. The leaves are simple, taperin<r. clasjiin.ir the 
 stejn, and tliey have loiiu' veins parallelini; each other the length of 
 the leaf. 
 
 False Solomon's seal has no! c of the appearanee of the true Solo- 
 mon's seal. Althou_iih both are li'ies. th(>y are in diU'erent iicnora. and 
 the. Smilacinas are llowers with terininal spike.- of -mall white llowers 
 with protruding stamens. 
 
 False Soli»nu>n's seal is a j)lant of the saiul country, of the sandy 
 woods wliere the bittersweet twiii(>s and the hiaek oaks grow, llovo on a 
 sloping bank the colony of false Solomon's seal plants stand almost erect 
 and stilV in thr spring sunshiiii' and produce tbiur small clusters of white 
 llowers al)undantly through the woods. In the shelter of tho.se arching 
 stems n white-tbroated sparrow nuiy jiipe l)eneath the stalks and take 
 a bath in the sand. I'larly insects come to sij) nectar at the slightly 
 fragrant llowers. and the entire enactment of spring in the black oak 
 woods takes phice now in t-arly May around the fal.se Solomon's seal 
 col on V. 
 
 74
 
 SOLOMON'S SEAL 
 
 Polygonatum biftoram (Walt.) Ell. 
 
 May Bending in splendid architecture, the stem of Solomon's seal 
 
 Woods curves in a Komanesque arch and, in elegant order, bears 
 leaves above and flowers below. 
 The flowers are green, narrow bells with six slightly recurving flower 
 parts. Inside are the six, polleny stamens and the thin pistil. The leaves, 
 much like those of false spikenard, are oval, tapered, and stand erect 
 above the stem. The fruits, hanging in pairs or trios as the flowers did, 
 are as big as a large pea, at first are green and then turn a dark Prus- 
 sian blue. 
 
 Back of the name given to Solomon's seal is the mystic symbol known 
 as the Seal of Solomon, far back in the davs of the Old Testament. The 
 Seal was composed of two interlacing triangles, one light and the other 
 dark, representing the union of the soul and the body, just as the Chinese 
 mystic symbol of the Yang and the Yin carried out the same idea. In 
 the ancient legend, the Seal of Solomon was actually a finger ring with 
 a miiTor in the center in which Solomon, in a sort of ancient television, 
 could see persons and events far away. Much later, the symbolic repre- 
 sentation of the two triangles forming a six-pointed star was used as an 
 amulet to ward off: fevers and illnesses. 
 
 The days of King Solomon and his mystic seal and the ring in which 
 he saw visions seem to be remote and to have no connection with any 
 plant in an Illinois woods. But the connection is there. Someone more 
 discerning than the rest, in the early days of America, saw the strange 
 knobby rootstocks of the Solomon's seal and discovered in certain scars 
 on the rootstocks a striking resemblance to the fabulous Seal of Solomon. 
 
 75
 
 SHOOTING-STAR 
 
 Dodecatheon meadia L. 
 
 April - May 
 Prairies, wooded hills 
 
 "])odecathoon", Flower of the Twelve Gods, 
 said Pliny whou he told of the primrose, which 
 was believed to be under the care of the twelve 
 superior gods of 01\aiipus. A member of the Primrose family, the shoot- 
 ing star, was named Dodecatheon by Linnaeus, ])erha])s because of the 
 unusual form and color of the llower, the reual elegance of the plant. 
 
 For sliooting-slar is one of the truly aristocratic ])lants of the Illi- 
 nois springtime. It springs from a tuft of long, straji-like, pale gi-een 
 leaves with ])ink midribs fonning a compact base from which rise one or 
 several stiff green oi- i-uddy stems. At the top of these is a cluster of buds 
 which, as they reach ilowering time, st^md on slender arching stems so 
 that the ilower cluster dws not appear crowded. The flowers have a 
 unique shape, much like that of tiic ( iiltivated cyclamen — live .stiffly 
 recurved petals bent straight l)ai'k from a })rotruiling pistil and the closely 
 pressed-together stanu'us. Tlu'se nuike a yellow beak; small red-brown 
 dots are marked on the j)etals where they meet the stamens. Sometimes 
 the flowers arc pink or lavender-rose; at other times they are white. 
 
 Shooting-star, unlike many plants which demand either sun or shade 
 but seldom both, will grow e(|uaily well out on tiie open prairie, there 
 between the raili'oad tracks and the highway, along with wild hyacinth 
 and puccoon, as it does on the cool, moist, clay slojx} of a north hill. The 
 ])lanl,s on the wooded hills tend to be more deli(^ate and thin, with ])aler 
 j)ink flowers than the ])rairie i)lants. The.se are stout and lush to with- 
 stand the force of jjrairie wind and an April sun which even .<!o early in 
 the scatJon can be strong when its beams are uninterrupted by the pres- 
 ence of trees. 
 
 70
 
 PRAIRIE PHLOX 
 
 Phlox pilosa L. 
 
 May 
 
 Prairie roadsides 
 
 Orange puccoon is in bloom and the. magenta-pink 
 
 flowers of prairie phlox blossom brightly along the 
 
 railroad right-of-way. If the two casually gi'ow close 
 
 to each other, the clashing of bright pigments may offend the sensitive 
 
 eye; one shudders and turns away. 
 
 But somehow in all the world of gi-een in which wild flowers are 
 found, color clashes seldom occur; therq is almost always enough of the 
 mediating green to set each color apart where, in itself, it is pleasant 
 to look at. 
 
 Prairie phlox is a member of that prairie clan growing in the heavy 
 black sod of the original prairie still remaining along certain highways 
 and railroads. In this tight black soil, matted with generations of roots, 
 the tap roots of the phlox penetrate and the ])lants grow. In May they 
 send up a tuft of stems covered A\-ith masses of narrow-petaled, bright 
 pink flowers, some lavender-pink, some white with a purple-red eye. The 
 stems are thin and densely fine-hairy; the leaves, as in all phloxes, are 
 opposite and stemless, narrow and stilf. The tight buds are furled in the 
 manner of an umbrella, and unroll to lay out tbe five blunt petals around 
 a darker center ending in a tul)e. 
 
 Prairie phlox is brilliant there along the highway. The orange puc- 
 coon is far enough away not to offend with its nearness. The redwinged 
 blackbird on the Avire above expands itself in song. The dickcissek are 
 back, endlessly chanting from fence posts or old prairie dock stalks, and 
 soon among the grasses, when the phlox is out of bloom, the dickcissels 
 will build a nest. By that time spring and the wild phlox will be past. It 
 will be June again, high summer on the prairie. 
 
 77
 
 WOOD BETONY (Common Louscwort) 
 Pedicularis canadensis L. 
 
 April - May The wood betony is <a decidedly curly plant — the flowers 
 Wooded hills are curled and so are the llower heads and bracts, and 
 so, eini)hatically, are the leaves. In a curly tuft the 
 betony springs up in the hilly woods and before April is ])ast the j)lants 
 are in bloom, 
 
 Betony is a compact. vatluM" low yet massive plant. The leaves are 
 mostly basaJ, linely toothed and divided nuich in the manner of yarrow 
 leaves. The downy stems are topj^'d with a whorl of small, finely cut 
 leaves and the Howcr head, a dense mass, has tubular, mint-like, pale 
 yellow and red llowcis. The leaves and seeding: heads remain for the rest 
 of the growing season. 
 
 Wood betony is a creature ol deep woods and the rocky hills along the 
 rivers. There it perches among the rocks where the spring earth is sat- 
 urated with water, and at the height of its bloom it may be called an 
 attractive i)lant. .\t other times it seems only somewhat untidy and 
 overdone. Tn dec]) hilly woods it grows beside trails and on bushy slopes, 
 and when not in hluom it may be passed by as a low and insignificant fern. 
 
 It was said long ago, and j)erha])s really believed, tliat the sh(H>p 
 which fed on the betony became infi'steil with lice. So the defenseless 
 betony was called lousewort, and was given a Latin name which clinched 
 that insult foi'ever — Pedicularis. named for Pedicula, the common lou.^e. 
 
 Similar to the above in leaves and flowers is the swam]) lousewort 
 {Pedicularis loncenJafa). It grows in swamjis and is common throughout 
 most of the state. The stem is from one to three feet tall and shows little 
 branching. 
 
 78
 
 GOLDEN RAGWORT 
 
 Ssnecio aureus L. 
 
 May Few Composites blossom earl}^ in the season. Most of 
 
 Deep woods them seem to require a good deal of time to develop 
 proper plants and flower heads, but in May the golden 
 ragwort suddenly blooms. It and the dandelions often are the only 
 yellow Composites to make their appearance before liigh siunmer, 
 
 Eagwort or groundsel comes in mid-May in woods where the last of 
 the wild blue phlox still is scattered among the growing substrata of 
 plants in the woodland. The ragwort presents a bright splash of color 
 on a dark, damp hillside — such bright golden, miniature yellow asters 
 catch the decreased sunlight which penetrates the leaf canopy and mag- 
 nifies it all out of proportion to its true amount. 
 
 Eagwort starts with a Ijasal rosette of dark green, glossy leaves which 
 are oval and slightly toothed. As the stems begin to gi'ow, the leaves 
 upon them are different in shape, often spade-shaped, deeply toothed 
 or lobed, and up the stem the leaves are so deej)]}- cut that they appear 
 almost compound. Tbe uppermost leaves are much like those of tansy or 
 betony. Above them are the many-branched lieads of flowers with their 
 l^right yellow rays and orange-yellow centers. Tlie jjlaut is a juicy one, 
 easily wilting, with none of that weediness of growth wliich so connnonlv 
 characterizes the yellow Composites of summertime. 
 
 The butterweed (Senecio glahellus) grows two to three feet tall 
 and has hollow, stout, ridged, glossy stalks. The flowers, similar in fonn 
 to those of golden ra.sr^vort, are produced in a flat, broad cluster at the 
 top of the stem. The basal leaves are large and deeply cut, the stem 
 leaves growing smaller up the stem. Buttenveed is found in wet woods 
 and at the edges of swamps from April to June. 
 
 79
 
 
 
 
 • r.*.-^ 
 
 IV ^.^*^^;; 
 
 ■.~V',^«; 
 
 INDIAN PAINTBRUSH (Painted Cup) 
 Castilleja coccinea (L.) Spreng. 
 
 May - June 
 
 Open hills, roadsides 
 
 The Indian paintbnisli or painted cup seems 
 1)1(11-1' like a wcstoni llower tlian one of the cen- 
 Iral or eastern pUints, and it is true that it very 
 likely migrated into Illinois with the coming of other plants of the Great 
 Plains. Paintbrush is most commonly known as part of that western 
 scene wliich incliidcs the rarilied air of mountains or the dusty roadsides 
 of the plains. Indian })aintbrusii is a plant ui the ])rairies and sands, yet 
 in Colorado it may bo found from the lowest of the foothills where the 
 lark buntings fly, to the upper ilowcr meadows at ten thousand feet where 
 mountain bluebirds nest. In the sand country of IllijKtis. tJK^ Indian 
 l)aiutbrush also tiirives, but it is not eommon. 
 
 Indian paintbnish was ajipropriately named lor a Spanish botanist 
 named Domingo Castillejo — -approj)riate because tlie Indian paintbnish 
 of the west was seen by the earliest Spanish explorers and adventurers 
 who penetrated that wild and unknown wikU'rness ol' sage and i-ocks and 
 rattlesnakes in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. 
 
 The plant is a foot or two tall and gTOws in a clump. Tbin. narrow, 
 hain' leaves are placed alternately along the stem. Tbe (lower head is 
 compos(Hl of bright scarlet llower-like leaves and yellow eorolla tubes with 
 protruding pistils. The combination of the colored leaves and flowers 
 gives that dipped-in-paint effect which named the Indian paintbrush, a 
 name bv which it is known wherever it grows. The Castilleja is ]iara- 
 sitic upon the roots of other plants and therefon^ cannot be transplanted. 
 It blooms in Mav and June. 
 
 80
 
 ONE-FLOWERED CANCER-ROOT 
 
 Orobanche uniflora L. 
 
 May 
 
 Hilly woods 
 
 The spring hill is alive with growing, singing, blossom- 
 ing things — with oaks just coming into new leaf, and 
 warblers flitting and singing among them . . . with 
 young squirrels in a hole in a hickory, and a crested flycatcher shrieking 
 in spring ecstasy on a dead branch . . . with dog\vood shining in A\-hite 
 bloom on the hillside, and wild raisin blossoming too, and a red admiral 
 butterfly dallying from flower to flower and from tree to tree. In the 
 lower strata of the hill woods, the Christmas ferns stretch out their new, 
 pale fronds. Mayapples and wild geraniums are in bloom ; so are the wild 
 blue phlox and the sand phlox and wild columbine. The floor of the 
 woods itself is still covered with its coating of glossy old brown oak 
 leaves. And jutting through the leaves, there on a steep slope, are three 
 slender pale stems with three, violet-shaped tubular flowers of palest 
 lavender. The throat of the flower is folded in pleats and is bright ca- 
 nary yellow, and there is a slight fragrance which becomes part of the 
 spring-time, there on the hill. Here is that non-green parasitic plant, the 
 one-flowered cancer-root, growing up from its host plant's roots in the 
 oak woods. 
 
 One-flowered cancer-root is a member of the Broomrape family 
 which is composed of parasitic plants. It is found on tlie roots of asters 
 and goldenrods and does not seem to harm the host plants. 
 
 81
 
 BROOMRAPE 
 
 Orobanche fasciculata Nutt. 
 
 April - August It is the tremendous function ol most plants to mami- 
 Sands Jactiuc their own food and at the same time jjrovide 
 
 food for all other living things. Yet there are certain 
 plants which do not mak(> their own food. They are parasitic upon the 
 roots or stems of otlui- plants which usually are little the worse for the 
 drain upon their substance. 
 
 Broomrapc grows in sandy ground and is found as a jiarasite on 
 Artemisia, Eriogonum, and certain other i)lants I'ound in similar habi- 
 tats. liroomra])e is a i'omi)!ete ])arasite. The set^ds .^eem to germinate 
 only in contact with the roots of the host plants; the broomrai)e stems 
 spring directly from the host's roots and has uouo of its own. The larger 
 broomrape has been found on Artemisia jtlants which were dying from 
 the drain of several parasites upon tliem. 
 
 Froni April to August, the broi>mrape sends up purplish, thickly 
 downy, stout stems; there are a U^w triangular puiplish seah^s along the 
 stem, but no true heaves, and no greenness. At the top of the stem is a 
 bud enwrapped in five triangidar scales and from this emerges a long, 
 curving, tubular, pur|)lish ilower which (wpands with five lobes. Insects 
 fertilize the llowers aiul eventually seeds form and fall to the ground. 
 Only those which are washed down through the soil to luake contact with 
 the roots of Artenii>ia will germinate and send up new broomrape plants.
 
 WILD LUPINE 
 
 Lupinus perennis L. 
 
 May - June Denizen of the sand country, the blue spires of 
 
 Sands, dune country hipine stand erect in the blazing spring sun- 
 shine- 
 Sand country plants are especially fitted to bloom in the limited 
 haunts which tliey prefer. They must be able to subsist on moisture 
 which drains in deeply when it comes ; at other times they live in a dry, 
 desert-like habitat. A sand plant must have a deep root to go down to 
 any water far below the surface, and must have leaves which are able to 
 survive the baking heat and intense light of summer. Ornamental and 
 interesting plants grow in the sand country, there where old sand dunes 
 lie as sand fields along the river. 
 
 Blue lupine is the only one of its kind in Illinois; on the other 
 side of the Mississippi, westward through the plains and peaks to the 
 Pacific, other lupines are abundant. The Texas blue-bonnet is a lupine; 
 there are l^rigbt lu|)ines with California poppies in vacant lots in Los An- 
 geles. But from Aiaine to Minnesota and south to the Gulf, always in 
 that favorite sandy soil, the wild lupine grows and blooms and makes pods 
 of small peas for the horned larks and bob-whites to eat. In the time of 
 the Indians who camped along the rivers, the Indian women may have 
 gathered the little lupine peas; they were boiled or roasted and eaten in a 
 land where every edible seed counted in keeping hunger at bay. 
 
 Lupine flowers are the form known as ])ea-shaped — like a small 
 sweet pea, lavender-blue, on sbort, hairy stems arranged circularly 
 around the upright stalk. The leaves are ])aliuat('ly compound, aiTangcd 
 like fingers of a hand, and when the sun is too hot, they fold themselves 
 in half and droop on their mobile pedicels. 
 
 83
 
 BLUE-EYED MARY i Baby Blue Eyes) 
 
 Collinsia verna Nutt. 
 
 May Tt is May. 'V\\r hilly woods are full of drifts of lavender 
 
 Hilly woods plilox, with the last of the spring beauties and the yellow 
 of hellwoit. The oaks are puttin'T out new little velvet 
 leaves which now arc pale pink and white and carmine, snuiU, as if cut 
 out in miniature liom soft velvet. Birds are eveiywhere now ami tlie 
 morning chorus of song lias gi'own to the proportions of that splendid 
 annual spring concert which nuikes the mornings memorable. 
 
 In certain hill woods in Illinois there are hosts of little blue and 
 white flowers which blossom lor a little while mid I hen are gone into the 
 ol)]ivion into which spring llowers go when their time is up. 
 
 'J'hese are the blue-eyed Marys or ("oUinsias. Animals, they come np 
 from seeds dropped tlie sunmu'r before and ])roduee thin, easily wilting, 
 little green ])lants with opposite, stemless leaves. The flowers appear 
 at the tops of the stalks, and in its flowers the Collinsia is rescued from 
 oblivion or ordinariness to which its sim])le, weak plant might condemn 
 it. F(U' the llow«'rs arc the soi't to make pcoi)le exclaim when tlu'y iirst 
 find them, flowers to make any woods exciting. 
 
 The flower is deeply chM't in five, though it a))]>ears to be two petals 
 abov(> and two below. Th(» ui)|)er are creamy white, the lower bright 
 gentian blue marked with white lines. In whorls around the stem these 
 bright flowers bloom briefly while spring is at its height. 
 
 The violet collinsia {Collinsia riolorca) abounds in rich sandy soil 
 from Arkansas to Texas, and in Illinois it occurs in two small stands 
 in Shelby County. The ui)per lip of the corolla is whit*' or nearly white, 
 the lower deep violet. 
 
 84
 
 WILD HYACINTH (Camas. Quamash) 
 Camassia scillioides (Raf.) Cory 
 
 April - May 
 
 Grassy woods, prairies 
 
 When the last glacier departed, it left broad 
 blue lakes on what later became the Illinois 
 country. When the lakes grew less and the 
 vegetation pushed in from every side until there was only a pond of open 
 water in the middle, until that, too, was gone, there came into existence 
 broad marshes to take the place of the lakes. And then the marshes grew 
 drier and became the wet prairie of Illinois. 
 
 The soil was deep and black and matted with undecayed roots of 
 prairie grasses and marsh plants. And for acres, in the old prairie, 
 flowers bloomed from the bed of what used to be an ancient lake. Blue 
 as the lake water itself, the wild hyacinths stretched for miles and glinted 
 like pale water in the sun. The delicate, waving spikes of six-petaled, 
 pale blue and lavender flowers, tufted with white stamens, stood tall 
 above the grass-like leaves. It was May, and the wild hyacinths were all 
 in bloom. 
 
 It was to these broad beds of hyacinths that the Indians came later 
 in the summer to dig the succulent bulbs of what they called quamash, 
 an important food plant. 
 
 Although the great beds of wild hyacinths vanished with tlie plowing 
 of the prairie, stretches of the original ])rairie soil still remain along 
 railroad right-of-ways, and here many hyacinths still are to be found. 
 In patches like pale blue water, the slender, fluffy spikes of lavender-blue 
 and white flowers nod in the prairie winds ; the flowers may be fewer, but 
 those which remain are unchanged ii'om those which decorated the old 
 prairie after the lakes departed, and were food for Indians who gathered 
 them. 
 
 85
 
 SWAMP SAXIFRAGE 
 
 Saxifraga pennsylvanica L. 
 
 May In tlie sandstone canyon at Starved Eock there 
 
 Sandstone canyons. is a l)o<;fry spot, thiMc whi'iv the diip from the 
 swamps and bogs clifrs moves (lown the shipe and stops in that sat- 
 urated place where tlie dt-ep mosses <;row and the 
 swamp saxifrage l)looms in sjjring. Tlie snn spends only a short part of 
 the day in the canyon; the walls are steep. Pines stand tall on the hill- 
 top; harebells cling to the rocks, and lilueherries witli small white hells 
 blossom in the ^lay warnith. 
 
 In that boggy sjjot. the swamp saxifrage .<ends np its lettuce-green 
 leaves. They grow in a broad rosette above the wet dark nmck. sliiniug 
 pale green, hnig-oval ta|)ered leaves with an inlinite look of freshness. 
 From tho center si)iing ii|) one or moi'e stout, downy pale stems topped 
 with a tight clii-'^ter of 1)U(1>. Tlien in late May they open a.«^ tiny, greenish- 
 white, five j)etaled. starry llowers with a slight fragrance. There in the 
 hidden canyon wliei-e the soil of the canyon lloor is a miniature bog, the 
 swamp saxifrage blossoms and makes its .<eeds. 
 
 It is not C'onnnon in Illinois, its cho.<en haunt is not a connnon one 
 in this ])rairie state. Yet there are tho.<e sjjecial. hidden ])laces where 
 u more northern habitat remains after it long ago left our territory. In 
 tlie deep canyons of certain state ))ark areas there are these relict plants, 
 such as the white |)ines which by rights should have retreated northward 
 at the proper time in post-glacial history. The swamj) .saxifrage, whose 
 more common habitat is much furtlier north and not in jirairie country, 
 is one of the plants remaining in .-iecret spots in northern Illinois. 
 
 8G
 
 WILD COLUMBINE 
 
 Aquilegia canadensis L. 
 
 April - May Columbine is named for two l)irds — for Columba, 
 
 Roadsides, woods the dove, from a fancied resemblance of the flower 
 
 to five doves grouped in a circle, and for Aquila, 
 the eagle^, from some fancied resembhmee of the flower to some part of 
 the eagle. Almost as if they had wings, the flowers of the columbine are 
 lightly poised on thin stems so that they dangle in g-raceful cui-ves in the 
 spring woods. No other flower can possibly be mistaken for columbine; 
 there is only one species in Illinois, the one with coral-red and gold blos- 
 soms which come in May to feed the hmnniingbirds. 
 
 Columbine is one of the important hununingbird flowers. In these 
 honey-horns the long beak and longer tongue of the hummer thrust deeply 
 and gamer nectar and any tiny insects which have l)een attracted there, 
 too. Since hummingbirds seem to prefer red or orange flowers with trum- 
 pets, the columbine is peculiarly fitted for their requirements. In the 
 hilly, sandy woods where cnlum])ine grows tall, there are almost always 
 several hummingbirds Hashing about on wings that whir almost too fast 
 to be seen. And usually, in one of the tall oaks, there may be a tiny nest 
 where the little green female has laid two white eggs no bigger than navy 
 beans. And as often as not. the woods which sup])()rt the deep rooted, 
 perennial columbine may. in siimmer, have the shallow-rooted juicy- 
 stemmed, annual jewelweed whifh is orange and red and trumpeted, to 
 feed the hummingbirds A\hen columbine is out of bloom. 
 
 Colimibine has a- basal tuft of deeply lobed, grey-green leaves from 
 which rise the tall, fibrous flower stems with leaves in groups along it; 
 the flowers on thin stems spring from the top and axils of the leaves. 
 
 87
 
 WILD STRAWBERRY 
 
 Fragaria virginiana Duch. 
 
 May 
 Roadsides, hills 
 
 This is June in Illinois: sunshine, clover blossoms, 
 souu". It is the time when the new strength wliicli 
 comes to the sunshine begins to bake the soil l)e- 
 twcen rows of growing corn, when soft dust powders up in the road, and 
 the river's level nightly lall.-. It is the time when pink wild roses blos- 
 som fleetingly along the railroad tracks; when the morning knows a 
 stream of blue sjjidfrwort in bloom l)eside the road. June is the renewed 
 sound of insects iu the gra.<s, in the air, in the suusliine, in the night — 
 a humming, churring, i)uzzing, zingiug, clicking, that swells to a cres- 
 cendo as the warmth increa.<es. 
 
 And now June is strawberries. Xow the scent of rijie wild prairie 
 strawberries fills the warm aii- of the sunny roadside. Here are wild 
 strawberries, clover, wheat ; they are j)art of one picture, June. The 
 berries arc small, sweet, ruby fruits in clustei-s on long stems; you piik 
 a stem-full and till your hand with berries. And a meadowlark on a fence- 
 post turns his golden bosom with the bright iilatk \' to the sun and sings 
 and sings and sings. 
 
 The wild strawberries are one of the choice wild fruit.s of Illinois. 
 There is nothing (piite like them, either in aroma or in flavor, and these 
 })rairie fruits are anu)ng the sweetest and most delieious of all berries, 
 cither to eat on the spot or to tiike home to make into ])reserves. 
 
 In ^lay, the compact ])lants sent up ilower stalks with the bright 
 white blossoms with their live ])etals around a stameny center. Quickly, 
 the petals fall and the berries develoj) and ripen when June once more 
 ful tills its ancient j)osition in the cycle of the year. 
 
 88
 
 DWARF FALSE DANDELION 
 
 Krigia biflora (Walt.) Blake 
 
 May - June Dwarf false dandelion is a neat, smooth, compact little 
 Rocky ravines plant with little of the weedy quality which the common 
 dandelion often has, Krigia, in fact, is not in the dan- 
 delion family, even though it is a Composite, but is more closely related 
 to chickory and hawkbit. 
 
 In a rocky glen below a plowed field, a place where stones cling to 
 the slopes or move downward through the annual activity of Avater and 
 wind and freezing and thawing, the taproots of dwarf false dandelion go 
 deeply into the soil in search of food and water. The leaves are mostly 
 basal, smooth, tapered, light blue-gi*een with a pinkish midrib. Often on a 
 flower stem there is a clasping or almost perfoliate leaf a few inches 
 above the base, but most of the slim, smooth flower stems are without 
 leaves. The stems curve, wave in the summer wind that blows down the 
 stony ravine. In the blaze of sunshine they stand tall with a single flower, 
 or two or three, seldom m_ore. 
 
 The flowers are an inch broad with rectangular yellow rays and a 
 tufted center of staminate and pistillate flowers. It is a delicate blossom 
 on a delicate stem, a plant which seems more at home in shady woods 
 than out there on the stony slopes in the full heat of the June sunshine. 
 
 The Carolina dwarf daudelion {Krigia virginiai) is shorter than 
 the above and grows as an annual plant on open sandy fields, principally 
 along the larger rivers. It has a small rosette similar to the common dan- 
 delion, from which spring several slonder stems, each of which bears a 
 head of yellow strap-shaped flowers. 
 
 89
 
 BUR-REED 
 
 Sparganium eurycarpum Engelm. 
 
 May - June In that not-quite-wet and not-(iuite-dry environment 
 
 Swamps, ponds ol the swamp and the ?wampv edges of ponds and 
 
 streams, the Inir-reeil grows. .Must of tlie time it is 
 not conspicuous, hut twice, during the year it merits attention. In April 
 the flower spikes thrust from the angled, dark green stems with their 
 clas})ing, narrow leaves. The ilower stalks are comjioscd of round clusters 
 of stamens and jnstils, the former llulfier and yellower than the latter. 
 The stem liolds tight gi-een huds. hall opt'iicd llowcr hall.-, wide ojien 
 flowers, and flowers whose jjarts have fallen away to sli;»w ,<eeds hegin- 
 ning to form. 
 
 The seed limi' is the second attention-getting period in the ineon- 
 spicuous life of the hur reed on the swampy shore. Now the one-time 
 flower spikes are seed spikes; each is studded with several glohular green 
 fruiting clusters radiating individual si'ed spikes. The seecl head is 
 shaped much like that of the sweet gum tree. 
 
 The time of the flowering of l)ur-reed in the grassy swamj) heside 
 the river is the time when the redwinged hlackhirds are hack in the 
 marsh. The redwings carol and teeter and ilash their hrilliant scarlet 
 and gold shoulders, spread their glossy black tails and st'cm almost to 
 force out the song which spills over the marsh. The period between the 
 blossoming of the hur-rced and the seed time in June sees the redwings 
 building nests in catt<iils or low willows, and by the time the green fruit 
 lieads have formed on the bur-reeds, there are young redwings fussing 
 in the nests. As the hot sunnner comes on, tlie Inir-reed seeds ripen and 
 turn brown on the stalks, and the young redwings are grown and come 
 to feed in the sunnv summer marsh. 
 
 90
 
 GLAUCOUS HONEYSUCKLE 
 
 Loniceca prolifeta (Kirchn.) Rehd. 
 
 May - June Now in the hilly woods, there on the north slope where the 
 Hilly woods banks of moss are bright green and a ledge of sandstone 
 is always moist from a perpetual drip coming out of the 
 hillside, the pale flowers of glaucous honeysuckle bloom. 
 
 The vines are tangled and festooned over a bush, over the ground, 
 over the ledges. The lower parts of the vines are woody, the new growth 
 pale green and tender, there in the shady woods, with oval, blue-green, 
 smooth leaves in clasping pairs. Often the lowermost leaves do not clasp, 
 but the majority of them appear to be one leaf with the stem piercing the 
 center — perfoliate leaves. Several of the wild honeysuckles have this 
 characteristic, the glaucous honeysuckle perhaps most noticeable of all. 
 
 In this species the topmost leaves have merged and appear as one 
 circular disk, from the center of which springs a thin, pale stalk on 
 wdiich are the long narrow buds. These open as pale yellow^, tubular 
 flowers with curling })etals and protruding stamens. i\s each flower grows 
 older, it darkens in color to a dull orange hue before it falls away from 
 the stem. 
 
 At last all the flowers have fallen and in their place is a stalk of 
 growing green fruits which, later in the season. Iiii'ii scarlet and juicy, 
 and then are eaten by robins. 
 
 The glaucous honeysuckle and coral honeysuckle (Lonicera semper- 
 rirens) are the two common native members of this family to be found 
 in Illinois woods. 
 
 Two foreign honeysuckles have nuule their homes in Illinois. In 
 the southern part of the state the twining stems and yellow flowers of the 
 Japanese honeysuckle (Lonirrra japort/ica), covei- many roadside fences. 
 
 91
 
 ELLISIA (Wild Tomato. Nyctclea) 
 Ellisia nyctelea L. 
 
 May - June It is mid-May when tlu- Kllisia l)looins. Mid-May. and the 
 Deep woods warbler migration is passing its peak. There already are 
 young robins out of the April nests, and orioles are Imild- 
 ing in the elms. High spring, almost the end of May, almost June. For 
 the first time in many months the wocxls are deeply shaded. This dis- 
 courages the growth of many plants, but a few, like the little Ellisia, 
 seem not to re(|nire much sunlight. 
 
 Now when tiie onei' ni'at lloor ot the woods grows dense with green- 
 er)-, there come the little tattered, weak-kneed plants of the Ellisia, or 
 nyctelea. Insignificant, inconspicuous, not at all exciting, the little Ellisia 
 spreads its watery little, deejily cut leaves with their widely scattered 
 long hairs and weak, watery stems. It is prostrate on the grounil or leans 
 for support against sturdier ])lants, and opens a few little buds. 
 
 The llowcrs arc palest lavender-piiik or white with five pctiils, and 
 remind one somewhat of the leaser wild geraniums. The calyx is large 
 and almost engulfs the Ibnver. WbtMi tliis is past and the setxi fonns, the 
 calyx remains as a sauicr beneath the doidde green fruit. This is the 
 little "wild tomato" whieh gives the Ellisia its conunonest name. The 
 whole plant, ])erhaps. might be compared w ith the a]»|)earance of a weak 
 tomato seedling in despair of its life. 
 
 02
 
 PURPLE-STEMMED ANGELICA 
 
 Angelica atropurpurea L. 
 
 May - June 
 Swamps 
 
 Tall above the swamp stand the purple-mahogany stems 
 of Angelica, a noble plant with an architectural beauty in 
 the tubular stout stems and the broad clasping bases of 
 the leaves and branches. There is an economy of growth which makes it 
 seem that the Angelica plant lias just enough leaves, just enough branches, 
 just enough flowers. In the bright May sunshine, it spreads its blossoms ; 
 Initterflies and many small flying insects are attracted to it all day long. 
 
 Angelica seems to need the abundant water of the swamp to nourish 
 those stout purple stems; for the stems are large and thick and aromatic, 
 a quality long known to mankind who has recognized Angelica as one of 
 the choice flavorings of the world. 
 
 Candied Angelica stems are an old delicacy; angelica oil has long 
 been a flavoring for a very special liqueur; and it has been an aromatic 
 oil used in cordials and certain medicines. Its name was given long ago 
 because of the "angelic'' qualities of the plants and its superb flavor. 
 
 Angelica, for all its elegance, is one of the |)arsnips which all are 
 aromatic is one way or another, have strong tap roots, usually stout 
 stems (but not always) and clusters of small white, greenish, or yellow 
 flowers in umbels at the tops of the stems. All the parsnips vary con- 
 siderably in the fruits they produce — "seeds" which may superficially 
 seem almost alike, yet it is in these tbat the botanists find differences to 
 set off species from species. In the Angelica, the fruit is dry, small flat- 
 tened, with three deeply set ribs marking down each side. The fruits are 
 held in the same formation as the flower bead. 
 
 93
 
 YELLOW PIMPERNEL 
 
 Taenidia integecrima (L.) Drudc 
 
 May 111 M;iy there comes a thin, tenuous, delieate plant. 
 
 Hilly, dry woods to the dry, wooded hillsides. It is a graceful plant 
 
 whose long tajiroot ap|)arently goes endlessly into 
 the gravelly clay soil of thr oak liill. Now in May when the migrating 
 warhlers swarm through the iiew-leal'ed oak>. tin- yeUow pimi)ernel is 
 in hloom. 
 
 De.>ipitc its name, the yellow j)impernel actually is a member of the 
 parsnip family, hut in contrast to that usually lusty tribe, the pimpernel 
 is a graceful, slender, airy ])lant. Its foliage often reminds one of the 
 ap|)earance and manner of growth of the loyal fern (Osmunda rcgaJis). 
 liut the ilowei' clust(M's reveal the plant's true lineage. In these tiny 
 yellow ilowers wlii( h arc hornc in sparse heads in a s|)reading. air}- umbel, 
 one sees that they are typically parsnip ilowers. They are graceful enough, 
 however, for (K'casional llowcr-gatherers to ])ick a few for a bouquet, to 
 the pickers' chagrin and disgust when the charming little blossoms with 
 their neat foliage |»i-oiiiptly wilt ilown into an unreviving mass of limp 
 
 greenerv. 
 
 'J'he yellow ))ini|)crnel belongs there in the gravelly hillside woods. 
 de<']> under the oak shade, where the often barren slopes arc covered 
 with the pleasant greenery of its leaves and the faint ijcrfume of its- 
 llowers. Abovo in the oaks the redstarts Hit and call. The tiny bright 
 birds from the South American jungles will nest nearby in some inacc(>s- 
 sible oak top, and may Hit down. down. down, branch by branch and 
 twig by twig, to daijitily pick gnats from the air ai>ove the pimpernels. 
 
 94
 
 GOLDEN-ALEXANDERS (Early Meadow Parsnip) 
 
 Zizia aurea (L.) Koch 
 
 May - June 
 Roadsides, thin woods 
 
 Once upon a time there was a German botanist 
 who lived along the Rhine. His name was Pro- 
 fessor Ziz, and a good while later a certain 
 member of the parsley family, far off in America, was named Zizia in 
 his honor. Botanists whose names in most other ways have been forgotten 
 thus have been perpetuated by means of their plant namesakes. Fre- 
 quently they are plants which the defunct botanists never saw and with 
 which they had not the remotest connection. 
 
 It is possible, though, that in the sunny meadows along the Eliine 
 there were yellow flowers which bloomed in late May and marked an 
 end to early spring flowers and introduced summer to the land. For the 
 early meadow parsnip, or golden-alexanders, is among the earliest of 
 the parsnips to bloom. As if in deference to the youngness and grace of 
 the season, golden-alexanders is not large and coarse as so many of its 
 family are. It is a pleasant briglit green plant of medium growth — two 
 feet or a little more — with spreading branches and smooth stems and 
 leaves. The leaves are irregularly shaped; some of the leaflets are lobed, 
 some are entire ; all are very finely saw-toothed and bright green. 
 
 In May — there in the sunny woods or in the moist meadows — the 
 early meadow parsnip holds erect its graceful umbels of bright golden, 
 tiny flowers. The separate heads of the flowei's in the umber spread on 
 thin stems; the whole umbel is a l)ou(|uei. 
 
 95
 
 WILD SARSAPARILLA 
 
 Aralia nudicaulis L. 
 
 May When luid-^Iay is here and the settled feeling of early 
 
 Hilly woods smniucr has come to the woods — when the trees all have 
 tlieir leaves and once again there is iinaecustomed deep 
 sliadr. and the hirds which nest here have all arrived — the wild sarsapa- 
 rilhi blooms. Its leaves stand on stiff stems two feet or so above the forest 
 iloor. l']aeli stem Id-aiichcs thrci^ times as comjioiind oval leaves. The ])lant 
 looks something like the ginseng, but on examination it has great ililfer- 
 enees. Now one. of those differences, the llowcr stalk rising separately 
 from the stem, stands almost half as tall as thf plant and branches three 
 directions. On each, of the three forks there is a round cluster of small 
 greenish-yellow llowers witii i)rotruding stamens. For a little while, the 
 sarsaparilla blinnns, and then the little flowers fall away and by June 
 there are tiny green fruits where tlie llowers grew. \\\ this time the 
 woods are growing weedy and deej)ly shadowed: the led-eyed vireo sings 
 all day, no matter how hot, and tbe wood tlirush is nesting in an oak. 
 
 By late summer and early autumn the Aralia has a cluster of deeji 
 maroon fruits which resemble eldeiberries. but aie not as soft as the 
 latter. Eobins often eat them. 
 
 Meanwhile the leaves have ripened and sent tln'ir food into the 
 fleshy roots down in the woods earth. They are stout roots which are 
 aromatic and spicy ; they fre(iuently have been used as a substitute for 
 the true sarsaparilla. a tropical Sniilax. 
 
 J)G
 
 BITTERSWEET (Waxwork) 
 Celastrus scandens L. 
 
 May 
 
 Bottomland woods, 
 sand woods, roadsides 
 
 The bittersweet vines have a way of draping 
 themselves all over the trees and bushes of 
 their chosen sandy woods, yet they remain 
 conspicuous during most of the year. The 
 flowers are produced in long clusters of five-petaled blossoms, the stami- 
 nate on one vine, the pistillate on another, the latter fertilized by pollen 
 carried by insects from the staminate blossoms. Staminate vines never 
 bear fruit even though they may flower abundantly. 
 
 All summer the dark green leaves of the bittersweet vines conceal 
 the gi'owing clusters of green fruits.- The woody vines gi'ow a little 
 longer, twine a little more finnly around trees and bushes, and advance 
 toward autumn ripening. They do this inconspicuously as the corky layer 
 forms between leaf and stem where the leaf joins the woody part. This 
 does not permit water to enter the leaf while plant starches in it are 
 changed to sugar and are carried away to be stored in the woody stem 
 and roots. Now as September comes, the bittersweet le<aves grow pale 
 green, translucent green-yellow, and they drop easily from the vines. A 
 frost brings them down in a sudden shower. 
 
 Now the woody vines are brilliant with great masses of orange seeds. 
 The yellow-orange seed-pods split tbrec ways to reveal seeds enclosed 
 in orange-scarlet, wrinkled flesh. 
 
 Bittersweet in autumn is eagerly gathered by i)eople who come to 
 the woods and sometimes unwisely tear down old vines which will require 
 many years to reach their former abundant fruiting. Fruits which remain 
 are even more eagerly garnered by cardinals and late robins and others 
 which live during the winter in Illinois woods.
 
 SMOOTH SUMAC 
 Rhus glabra L. 
 
 May 111 ;i r;iiiiily which contxiiiis >iuh widfly diiroront 
 
 Hillsides, open woods |)l;inTs as jxdson ivy ami ca>h«'\v nuts, ono liiul> 
 
 the sumar well established as important small 
 trees in the Illinois woods. 
 
 The sumacs in winter lia\t' little of the aiipcar.iiKc of proper trees 
 hecauso the leaves fall I'ompletely away and leave the stout hranehes of 
 the shrubby sumac start lin<;ly Ijari' and unbranchin^^ They are club- 
 shaped and stiff without fine twigs; the winter buds are embedded above 
 tile leaf .scars. Then when spring conies, the crumjiled little c-ompound 
 leaves dc'veloj) rapidly from the tiny buds, expand, strc^teh. elongat*'. until 
 they are fifteen to eighteen inches long, compound with many toothed, 
 narrow leallets. and attached in a great whorl at the to|) of each woody 
 stem. 
 
 If i> here, from this crown, that the flower bud- form and in June 
 i)urst inlo a large panicle of greenish-yellow ilowei's. These are tiny and 
 five-partcil. .iiul later an- re|)laced by a large tight cluster of green .«eeds 
 which turn carmine-pink in autumn. They are covered with fine hairs 
 containing malic acid; this (piality |iei-mits the fruits to be used in mak- 
 ing a reficshing drink reminiscent of lenu)na<le. In the |)ast, the tannin 
 in the boiled berries was u.<ied to make a medicinal drink to relieve sore 
 throat ; tannin extracted from fruits, stem.s, dried leaves, and roots ha.s 
 been used extensively in the )»ast in tanning and dyeing. 
 
 98
 
 KITTEN-TAILS 
 
 Synthycis bullii (Eaton) Heller 
 
 J 11 tlic hotaiiie.il zoo there are cattails, pussy toes, mouse- 
 cjir. mouse tail, rat-tailed plantain, aiul this — kitten- 
 
 April - May 
 Sandy woods 
 
 tails. And the softness and pliability of the flowering- 
 stalks of Synthyris perhaps make it a logical name for a little-known 
 plant. 
 
 It is a curious plant of the oak barrens and sand country, one which 
 is never common nor is particularly beautiful, yet somehow because of 
 its very rarity and its strange form and name, it is exciting to the 
 amateur botanist to find a plant or two. 
 
 Synthyris seldom grows more than eight inches tall in the May 
 sunshine. There are large, thick, heart-shaped, finely scalloped basal 
 leaves covered with soft down and hairs. From the middle of the plant 
 spring two or three stout, downy stems with small, stemless, clasping 
 leaves, and flower buds which are arranged with as much order as the 
 scales of a pine cone. The buds open to become greenish-yellow flowers 
 with protruding, plump yellow stamens, and are somewhat fragi'ant. 
 
 There in the sandy woods where the hummingbirds busily whir to 
 the scarlet and gold columbine flowers, and when the bright puiiile of 
 wild larkspur is all about, and there are tanagers in the tress, the incon- 
 spicuous greenish-yellow flowers and lowly plant of kitten-tails never- 
 theless plays a part. It is not gaudy, but it is an item in springtime as it 
 is expressed in the pattern of the wooded sand country, part of the 
 ])icture of the oak barrens, the sandy woods near the Illinois Uivor. 
 
 99
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^HB^^^ 
 
 ^^^^^^^H 
 
 
 K^ » ^^^^^^^1 
 
 
 jj 
 
 
 
 APPENDAGED WATERLEAF 
 
 Hydrophyllum appendiculatum Michx. 
 
 'I'lii' (.aiiyou bt'twcon the wet sandstone cliffs is cool 
 ;iii(l (luict and damp. The sunliiiht now, long withheld 
 
 May 
 
 Ravines, woods 
 
 fidiu the hotloin oi the canyon because of the steep 
 walls, at last slants down through the oaks on the hilltop to thrust 
 through the last of the night's mists. The little stream makes noises 
 around the wet stones. A water thrush teeters and steps from stone to 
 stone and ])icks up insect morsels. And on the elilf-side. in a little 
 cranny, a plioebe has built a new nest. The nest, snug under a ledge, is 
 neatly u])holstered with live green knight's plinne moss and pale lichens. 
 There are lour white eggs in the nest, and the ])h()ehe sits on them now, 
 her eyes bright as the sunlight comes into the eanyon. 
 
 Below her on the wet sloi)es the waterleaf llowers are in bloom. They 
 are as pale blue as lake water. shallow-cupi)ed bells with stamens ])urple- 
 tipped, and are gathered in loose clusters on tinc^hairy stems. The stems 
 stand above the broad, live-parted thin leaves, leaves which ai-e thin and 
 Mater}' in this canyon country of coolness and shade and moisture. The 
 waterleaf is in bloom, and the spiderwe])s spun among them during the 
 night glint now with illuminated drops of dew. 
 
 Then a web is shattered by a (piickly Hashing wing as the phoebe 
 darts down and snatdies a Hying moth just as it enters a waterleaf 
 llawer. Tlie plants (piiver and the dew drops fall off, and the sunshine 
 comes more splendidly into the canyon, to shine through the translucent, 
 silky ])etals of the lavt-nder-blue llowers. It is mid-May. The i)hoebes 
 are nesting. Waterleaf is in bloom and once again the yeai^'s pattern of 
 flowers is completed by one more speeien to fulfill the cycle of the year. 
 
 100
 
 VIRGINIA WATERLEAF 
 
 Hydrophyllum virginianum L. 
 
 May - June Late May and early June in the deep woods is a 
 
 Deep woods, ravines time of conipnratively few flowers. The time of 
 
 profuse flowering in the shaded places has passed 
 and bloom is at its best in the fields and uplands. Bright bloom, sturdy 
 plants at home in the hot summer sun, these belong to summer. But back 
 in the cool, damp woods the waterleaf is blossoming. It might be called 
 the last of the true spring flowers. Here is delicacy, a plant which wilts 
 quickly in open sun. 
 
 The plant of Virginia waterleaf is stiff, with grooved stems which 
 hold erect the clusters of deeply pleated l)uds on their densely hairy little 
 stalks. The flowers are five-parted, narrow bells with long, protioiding 
 hairy stamens — their pollen reaches the incoming bee even before it gets 
 there. The color ranges from white to pale pink and greyed lavender. 
 The Virginia waterleaf is visited l)y la rge Ijees ; a j)parently the f onnation 
 of the flowers prevents other insects from taking nectar when they are 
 unfitted to transport waterleaf pollen to other waterleaf plants. 
 
 The leaves are compound, deeply sharp-toothed, dark green and 
 veiny, and remain green in the shadowed woods all sununer long. The 
 fuzzy seeds form in early suimner and are scattered to the ground where, 
 if there have been rains enough to moisten the soil, the seeds begin 
 to grow. 
 
 101
 
 ALUMROOT 
 
 Heuchera richardsonii R. Br. 
 
 May - June Many an alumroot plant has been hopefully transplanted 
 Wooded hills to many a garden, only to leave the gardener disillu- 
 sioned when May comes around again and the alumroot 
 blooms. For the cluster of basal loaves of the alunnoot is ornamental and 
 promising. It would seem that certainly a beaut ii'ul flower would belong 
 with such a handsome plant ; besides the leaves look almost exactly like 
 those of coral bells in the catalogs and gardens. 
 
 Alumroot is related to coral bells, but the long, thin spikes of stems, 
 which rise from the leaf-tuft, blossom out in nothing so line as coral-like 
 flowers. Here are dull, grocnish-biow n blossoms, remotely boll-like, with 
 orange anthers thrusting out on green filaments. The cluster of flowers 
 in itself is a decorative gri)uj)ing. except when aphids have attached 
 themselves and spoiled any l)oauty it miglit have. But the color is undeni- 
 ably dull and unattiaotivo. Tluis the alumroot blossoms each May and 
 is usually unadmired for its flowers; the scalloped, round, hairy leaves, 
 arranged in a broad cluster at the base of the plant, are always handsome 
 throughout the growing season. 
 
 Alumroot is fairly coimnon in dry woods, usually on slopes, with 
 wild blue phlox, mayapples, and other typical May blossoms of the 
 Illinois oak woods. 
 
 102
 
 WATER CRESS 
 
 Nasturtium officinale R. Br. 
 
 May - June 
 
 Springs, ponds, swamps 
 
 The .spring runs clear and cold from the 
 sandy hillside and has cut itself a channel 
 between the slopes before it finally flows as a 
 little stream into the swamp beyond. The spring runs clear and fast 
 over the clean-washed brown sand. Unlike other streams of Illinois which 
 almost invariably are muddy and thick, the spring is clean and pure. 
 In it, therefore, as an indication of clarity and purity and motion, grow 
 beds of water cress. 
 
 The bright green little leaves on their matted stems cluster thickly 
 in dense beds, all with their roots and stems in the water and the leaves 
 in the sunlight, and the flower stalks with white blossoms held higher 
 still. Down among the cool leaves sit dozens of little white-bellied cricket 
 frogs, and on the spring evenings their pipings from the water cress 
 l)eds are loud and long and happy, all the soft night through. Small 
 transparent copepods, minute crustaceans, live among the cress roots or 
 climb up into the leafage at water line. Sometimes one of the big yellow 
 and brown bull snakes from the nearby swam}) comes into the water 
 cress beds to have a meal of small frogs. Sometimes the coots come push- 
 ing in here, like unmannerly tugboats, dabbling and bobbing about and 
 shoving themselves hastily through the tangle of green leaves, hunting 
 for tasty little copepods and other morsels to eat. 
 
 Sometimes, too, people come here with knives and baskets to cut a 
 mess of water cress for the table or for the market, for these pungent lit- 
 tle green leaves which grow in spring water are much liked in salads. 
 They give a certain pleasant pepperiness to the dullest of lettuces, spark 
 up any salad, are a delight in the most oi'dinary sandwich. 
 
 103
 
 GOLDEN CORYDALIS 
 
 Corydalis flavula (Raf.) DC. 
 
 May III the sand country grows the golden corydalis with 
 
 Sandy roadsides its leaves wliieh remind one of those of dutclunau's 
 
 l)ieeclies, .iiid lloueis which helong to the corydalis 
 alone. Pure, bright yellow niid highly ornamental in their shape, winged 
 and crested and lipped and jiullVd. the llowers of golden corydalis sud- 
 denly take the ilower-linder away I'lom the realm of the connnou and 
 the ordinary. The corydalis always has tlie U)ok of sometiiing very 
 special. Even though it is not especially rare, though localized in the 
 sand country near the rivers, the golden corydalis gleams in the May 
 sunshine and plays its own little part in tiie progress of the spring. 
 
 The leaves arc iiudy nit and pale grey-green. I'nlike the dutch- 
 man's breeches leaves, which they superficially re.-cnililc. the cor\'dalis 
 leaves do not si)ring separately with the Jlower stems from the root. 
 The stems, instead, are hranched and hear leaves along them, with 
 the flowers in curving racemes at the to]>. Delicate, jxtiscd on thin little 
 stems, the corydalis llowers come and go, and the |>rairie horned lark 
 which leaves its tracks in the sand held rears it« young in a nest in 
 the chmip of hluestem grass close hy. "When the young aiv out of the 
 nest, they may come walking that way and j)ick at the little thin .secxl- 
 pods of the corydalis, and eat the small seeds that rijxMi there. 
 
 104
 
 SENECA SNAKEROOT 
 
 Polygala senega L. 
 
 May Senega Eoot, it was called in the early days of our country. 
 
 Woods when the pioneers pushing west of the Alleghenies sought plants 
 for home remedies to cure all the ailments besetting mankind. 
 It was believed faithfully by many that there was a plant which would 
 cure each disease, if the right one could be found to treat the disease, in 
 question. Polygala, or Seneca snakeroot, was one whose hard, knotty 
 rootstock was gathered and used medicinally in many a home on the 
 Illinois prairie. 
 
 The Polygalas were given their name, which means "^much milk", 
 in the belief that cows which ate the plants produced more milk. The 
 name originally came from that given by the old l)otanist of Greece, 
 Dioscorides, who labored under many current delusions of the day but 
 sought earnestly to learn the truth about Nature and its manifestations. 
 
 The Polygalas are among the most varied flower clans to be found. 
 Not an extensive group — eight s])ecies are listed in Jones's Flora of 
 Illinois — they nevertheless range from extremely showy ilowers to some 
 which are dull, small, and uninteresting. Most beautiful of all and one 
 of the most exquisite of wild flowers is the fringed polygala or gayAvings; 
 it is believed to be entirely absent from Illinois, but is common in late 
 spring in northern forests. 
 
 In extreme contrast are the thin, sparsely flowered sjiikes of Seneca 
 ,«nakeroot, with tiny greenish white flowers and small, nari'ow leaves. 
 
 105
 
 GREATER TWAYBLADE 
 
 Liparis lilifolia ( L. I Rich. 
 
 May - June 
 
 Deep, wooded ravines 
 
 Tlir wocKled ravine between the sandy hills is 
 shady and moist in ilay. The new leaves on 
 the oaks are dciisi> now and hrin? sliade wliitli 
 lor iiiiiiiy iiioiiilis has been absent from the woodhinds. Ferns uncurl and 
 grow tall. Nettles are developing stiff stinging hairs. The grosbeak 
 is nesting in the tangle of bittersweet and tlie towhees have a nest with 
 young on the ground beneath the ferns. At the bottom of the ravine 
 a little rivulet, diy in mid-summer, still runs rapidly over the slialy 
 stones, and drops down, in a series of tiny waterfalls to the lower levels 
 where the water thrush teeters and sings. 
 
 In this quiet, secluded, moist spot in an Illinois ravine, there springs 
 into being an orchid. Froni its two ])erfect. pale green, cupping leaves 
 just above the ground there is a stout, glossy stem thickly set with buds. 
 Those, as the days pass, extend themselves, each on its own stalk, at 
 angles from the stem, and the lowest buds at last o)ien into a strange, 
 ornamental blossom which could be nothing less than an orchid. Magni- 
 fied in size, it might be a strange tropical six'cies in a Brazilian jungle. 
 But this is the greater twayblade in an Illinois woods. 
 
 The flowers are broadly li])j)ed. silky maroon creations of form and 
 color, with dangling, greenish and ruddy petals and honey tubes. There 
 in the ravine the twayblade contains in itself something of an aloof 
 personality which sets it apart from all other idants growing there. This, 
 it says, is an orchid, a rnre. beautiful, intricate mechanism. 
 
 ion
 
 LOESEL'S TWAYBLADE 
 
 Liparis loeselii (L.) Rich. 
 
 May- 
 Woods, thickets, swamps 
 
 At about the time when greater twayblades 
 bloom, a kindred species, Loesel's tway- 
 blade, also comes into bloom in swamps and 
 damp thickets. The flower, however, is smaller and is yellow-green, and 
 the shining leaves are arranged along the erect stalk. The plant has 
 that "look of orchids" but is less conspicuous and less dramatic than the 
 greater twayblade with its magnificent simplicity and its simple mag- 
 nificence. 
 
 Illinois is not often recognized as an orchid-growing state, yet there 
 are at least thirty-three species of the Orchid family to be found in 
 Illinois. A new one for the state, crested coral root (Hexalectris spicata) 
 was discovered in 1949 by Dr. Glen 8. Winterringer, assistant botanist 
 at the Illinois State Museum, during field work in southern Illinois. On 
 any field trip another new orchid may be found. But so inconspicuous 
 are some of our orchids that they may be easily missed even by the 
 experienced botanical eye, or may be calmly devoured by cows, just as the 
 pink mocassin is devoured by deer in the nortliern wilderness. 
 
 Loesel's twayblade has a single stalk of inconspicuous flo^\•ers which 
 rises from a pair of pale green, glossy leaves clasping the stem. 
 
 lo:
 
 LONG-BRACTED ORCHID 
 
 Habenaria bracteata iMiihl.) R. Br. 
 
 May - June 'riu'ic jirc (•()m|i;iiati\rly lew urcliiils in Illinois; it is not 
 Woods the proper habitat lor most t»i" them, some of which live 
 
 only in cool. acid. s]ihajZHimi hoi^s. some in coniferous 
 swamp.-, or in other intensely aeid, cold soil. At one timi', long ago before 
 the landscape of Illinois was changed by plowing, overgrazing of forest- 
 land, (liainage of water courses, ami othei' man-made influences, there 
 were tar moi-e wild urchids. Some of these in a few remaining orchid- 
 haunts still come up vnvh spi-ing and blossom and set their seeds in the 
 ancient manner of the tribe. 
 
 The long-braited orchid does not have that colorful elegance of the 
 lady's slippers and fringe(l oichids. It has, however, in its small individual 
 llowers. the same intriiate and eurious meehanism and closely held form 
 which all orchids ]ios.sess. Yet as the ])lant grows in the damj) woods or 
 in a tliicket, it is so green throughout that it may be overlooked by all 
 but the most e\]ierienced onhid hunter. 
 
 'J'he long-braeted oi'ehid lias a s])ike of green llowers with a long 
 green bract e.xtendijig outward below each flower. The leaves are few-; 
 they clasp the stout stem; they are smooth, ])ale green, glossy. 
 
 It is a ]ilant whose range is wide and varitnl. Tlie same species which 
 grows in a certain Illinois wo(k1s also gnnvs in a similar habitat from 
 Nova Scotia to Ala.^'ka and south to Washington, Minnesota, and Penn- 
 sylvania, and along the A])])ala(hian mountains to the Smokies in North 
 Carolina. .\nd in the same sort of haunt, the same sjiecies of wild orchid 
 grows in damp woods and thickets in China and Japan. 
 
 108
 
 WHITE LADY'S SLIPPER 
 
 Cypripedium candidum Muhl. 
 
 May - June 
 Swamps, prairies, 
 
 along railroad tracks 
 
 There was an Indian village in the distance, 
 a rising dune to the east, and beyond lay 
 Lake Michigan. Between the low dune and 
 the village on higher ground lay the broad 
 expanse of wet prairie which once was so much a part of the landscape 
 around the lake. The wet prairie in the days of the Indians was splendid 
 in spring and siminier with l)rilliant flowers, and in May there came 
 the time of white lady's slippers. They were everywhere on that Caliunet 
 prairie, everywhere for miles, it seemed; their stiff green stalks with 
 the closely-held hairy leaves bore one or two flowers on each ; there were 
 millions of them. 
 
 The white lady's slipper has a small, white, pouch-like flower with 
 green-purple sepals and petals extending outward and over it. Inside 
 the white pouch are purple speckles, and the interior mechanism, like 
 those of the other lady's slippers, admits only certain tiny green bees 
 which for ages have fertilized American lady's slippers. Stiff and ex- 
 quisite on the old prairie, the white lady's slippers blossomed and were 
 gone. And were gone. . . . not for the sunnner, but almost for good. 
 
 Where lady's slippers grew for miles on the Calumet prairie there 
 now are steel mills and factories, dirty streets and dirty houses, and air 
 thick with smoke and fumes. It is far from the sweet peace of the wet 
 prairie where white orchids bloomed. But tliis species apparently has 
 suffered less extermination than the other lady's slippers in Illinois, 
 for there still are many places where the conditions are right, often 
 along railroad embankments and ditches, where a few white lady's 
 slippers still blossom as part of the })icture of late spring. 
 
 109
 
 YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER ( Whip-poor-wiirs Shoe) 
 
 Cypripedium pacviflorum Salisb. 
 
 May - June l.ate ilay, and bright yellow orchids, the yellow lady's 
 Woods slippers, are in bloom here autl there in some of the occa- 
 
 sional Illinois woods which still support such opulent 
 flowers. Long ago they were far more abundant, but an orchid cannot 
 be safely picked nor its woods pastured ; it is fairly easy to bring about 
 extermination ul' wild orchids in Illinois, and this already has taken 
 ])lace in certain species. Others are so rare that to find one is a high- 
 lighted event of the year. On such an occasion, the splendid discovery 
 should bo loft to remain in those favored woods wliore it can make seeds 
 to increase the supply. 
 
 Yellow lady's slipper — wliip-pooi-w ill's shoe — is like a bright yellow 
 Indian moccasin with twisted, reil-bi-own ties which stand outward from 
 the llowor, with a red-brown, twisttnl petal high over the sli]i]x^r. It is a 
 delight I'ul contrast in colors, and the form of the Jlower is supei'b. The 
 broad, parallel-veined, yellow-green leaves are few on tlie straight stem, 
 ;in(l iU'cent the exotic sliape of the ilower. 
 
 Yellow lady's slippers live in hilly, often rocky. woo<1s. They re(|uire 
 shade enough, but with sunshine liltering througli the high oak leaves. 
 In the rich leaf mold of the oak-acid forest tloor, the rootstocks grow 
 and eacli year send up a new sh<x)t until often quite a group of lady's 
 sli]ipers stands in the sunshine, l^ionecr children knew them and ruth- 
 lessly ])icked them; botany clai^ses in the ])ast gathered th»'m; young 
 ladies on a picnic gaily took home an annload of glistening golden wild 
 orchids. AVoods were cut and pastured. The rich leaf mold wa.shed away. 
 The lady's slip]iors decreased in numbers . . . but still in rare spois in 
 Illinois a few remain and blossom in May.
 
 SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER (Queen Orchid) 
 
 Cypripedium reginae Walt. 
 
 June Showy lady's slipper is the Queen Orehid of America. 
 
 Swamps, bogs Here is an orchid blossom as exciting to see as one 
 from the southern jungles. Here is crisp, waxen per- 
 fection, a minimum of leaves placed exactly right for proper symmetry. 
 Alternately they clasp the furry stem — broadly oval, bright green leaves 
 with parallel veins. From the protection of the topmost clasping leaf 
 there is a white bud which is shaped nuich like a dove's egg. The bud 
 grows, and swells, and in silent dranui opens to become a pouched white 
 flower of great magnificence. Here is a s]ii)per-like pouch marked Avith 
 a splash of vivid purple-pink with white lines. Alcove are two spreading 
 white petals and one large, broad petal curved above. A slight fragrance 
 comes from the center of the flower. The sun gleams on the petals; they 
 actually sparkle with tiny individual lights. 
 
 A small bee a fourth of an inch long fertilizes the orchid; other 
 insects usually fail to get into the complex flower, are caught between 
 the sticky anthers and are held there until they die. The bee knows the 
 way in. It enters the opening in the front of the pouch and finds itself 
 inside and heading up into the back part of the flower. Nectar clings 
 to tiny hairs leading along converging purjile lines. Then the l)ee finds 
 itself near a convenient exit at the ])ack of the flower, and, in pushing 
 through, brushes against sticky pollen grains Avhicli cling to the bee's 
 body. Then it goes to another orchid where the pollen reaches the waiting 
 pistil. Ultimately, the seeds form and are dispersed to create otlier orcliids 
 in other Junes. 
 
 Ill
 
 i 
 
 May - June 
 Swamps, ponds 
 
 WILD IRIS (Blue Flag) 
 Iris shrevei Small 
 
 By late ^fny \\lion tlie pond is full of the life and 
 izrowtli ntid sonir of ahnost-sunnnor, the wild irises 
 li;i\i' ((Hill' into hlooni iirouiul the shores. The })ond 
 shore is a place of |)l,iiit zones, 'i'lic wettest of all is the ojx'ii water where 
 submerged water i)lants grow ami dueks feed. In shallows the lotn.^^es 
 are coming up, and among them the great hiuc heron slowly walks, 
 fishing. The wet swamp is where the cattails anil bulrushes grow, and 
 where the redwings and rails choose to nest. And then comes the wild 
 iris zone, and the docks and persicarias on which the mallards feed in 
 autumn. Beyotid are the drier ])lac(\>^ where willows border the ])(md 
 and the yellow warbler builds a neat nest among willow twigs. 
 
 Now in the iris zone the .-lini blue silk buds quiver and unfurl them- 
 .«!elves with the coming of the sun. Dew dampens the .«ipeai*s of leaves. 
 Tho pointed blue l)ud. as jnire and ])erl'cct as the new day iti^elf. o])ens 
 ipiickly and its petals spread themselves to the sky and the sun. They 
 are lavender-bhie. deeper on the three veiny falls with their opale.scent 
 coverts and their yellow beards; i)aler on the three upi'igbt ])etals arching 
 over the heart of the ilower. 
 
 Now to the veiny guide lines on the falls there come the bees which 
 push their way under the opal-colored coverts to reach nectar and pollen 
 deep in the flower. As they ])ush their way in, the stiff white stamens 
 whifh arch \inder the coverts brush pollen onto the backs of the liees. 
 and when they visit anotiier iris, tlu^ })olU'n is transferred, and pollination 
 is neatlv eftected. 
 
 112
 
 May - June 
 Open hills, dry woods 
 along railroad tracks 
 
 WILD GARLIC 
 
 Allium canadense L. 
 
 There is no certain way in which, to disguise 
 
 an onion. Step on it; bruise it; pick it; 
 
 smell it; eat it — it is all the same: onion. 
 
 And wild garlic is the same, only more so. 
 It has been used as a highly flavored morsel to add interest to food since 
 the early prehistoric Indians of Illinois undoubtedly went out and 
 gathered wild onions and wild garlic. 
 
 The name given to all the Onion-Garlic family — Allium — is the 
 name by which the Eomans knew it. They ate garlic, too, from the edge 
 of the Pontine marshes and from the hills above the Tiber. Ever since, 
 the onions have all been known officially asi Allium. Linnaeus, who, two 
 hundred years ago, was giving proper scientific names to all the plants 
 in the world, could not improve on AUium. 
 
 Allium, the wild garlic, still grows \\'il(l alnindantly throughout 
 Illinois. It multiplies rapidly along roads and railroad tracks, as well 
 as in meadows, in woods, and at the edges of fields. The bulbs are hairy, 
 small, not deeply set, and are very pungently a inember of the Onion 
 family. The leaves are thin, tubular, garlic-flavored; so are the erect, 
 wiry stems, topped with a cluster of garlic bulldets, and the buds which 
 open into thin-stemmed, six-petaled, pale pink-lavender flowers. Wild 
 garlic at its best is a pretty thing; at other stages it becomes a ragged 
 and unattractive plant. It nevertheless at any stage aunounces to all 
 that here is a morsel of wild garlic to add to a hiker's sandwich, that here 
 is something brightly flavorful, but strong ... it neede^ a good sandwich 
 to temper its pungency. 
 
 113
 
 SPIDERWORT (Spider Lily. Trinity Flower) 
 Tradescantia ohiensis Raf. 
 
 May - June In the great estate of Cliarlcs I in England there 
 
 Roadsides, woods \\ as a man nanieil Jolui Tradoscant, the elder, who 
 
 was in charge of all the king's gardens. He knew 
 many flowers, but evidently lie never saw a certain delicate blue-silk 
 si)iderwort ilower opening in the dewy light of early morning. But it 
 was Tradescant's name wliith Linnaeus h>ng ago gave to the American 
 spiderworl. 
 
 Today, when May comes, there is spiderwort in ])h>om in hilly woods 
 and open hillslopes and ah)ng roads. A\'hen .lune comes to Illinois road- 
 sides, the moist (litcli just below railroad embankments is a water-blue 
 band of sky color in the morning, but by noon tlir spiilerwort flowers have 
 faded away into a drop of purple ink and the tb>wer stems curl down 
 wl\ile. the seotls fonn. X^ext nnu'iiing more buds liave opened and again 
 the roadside is bonb'red witii a mass of blue. 
 
 Spiderwort is a (lcli(iite Ilower of the -un. ii needs sunshine, yet 
 sunlight it.self is too strong for those thin silk petals and they com- 
 ]detely disintegrate and li(|uil'y by the middle oi the day. sooner than 
 that in extremely hot weather. The tlowers are thre<'-petalcd with si.x 
 long-furred stamens of deep pin pie-blue tojiijcd with bright yellow- 
 orange, puify anthers. 'I'he pistil is slim, thready and three-forked. The 
 leaves sjiring from the joints ami nvv tap(>ring. narrow, and alternate on 
 tlie stem. 
 
 The Virginia spidenvort {Trndescanfia vinjiniana) is similar to 
 the above, but has hairy leaves and larger llowors. Found throughout the 
 "^tate. Tintlrsninfi/i yiihnsprrn has broader, hairy leaves. It is a wood- 
 land })lant which is found in the southern half of the state. 
 
 If
 
 HOP TREE (Wafer Ashj 
 Ptelea trifoliata L. 
 
 June There it is. a small tree with glossy, pungent leaves 
 
 Wooded hills shaped much like those of poison ivy, a tree with a dis- 
 asreeable odor and seeds which at first seem to resemble 
 those of slippery elm. A small, not conspicuous tree — hop tree or wafer 
 ash. It is related neither to the hops nor to the ashes, but belongs in the 
 same family as the citrus fruits. 
 
 It is a curious aort of low tree. Only two members of its family — 
 hop tree and prickly ash — live as natives in Illinois; the remainder of 
 the family is Old World or iiative to the southern hemisphere. 
 
 Hop tree actually is a tall shrub which gTows in hilly woods of 
 Illinois. It is never too common, but it is not really rare. The glossy, 
 three-parted leaves are bitter-aromatic, and are full of that characteristic 
 odor of hops. The leaves have attained their full size, compound in groups 
 of three, when the clusters of small greenish flowers, four or five jjarted 
 with a ])rotruding pistil and disagreeable odor, are in bloom. They are 
 follo\v(Mi by a loose, large cluster of winged fruits which are elm-like in 
 shape, a resemblance which is more striking later in the season when 
 they dry and| rattle in the winds of autumn and winter. Even in winter, 
 the hop tree possesses its curious odor, for the downy stems when broken 
 emit a marked scent reminiscent of tangles of hop vines (piivering in the 
 summer wind. 
 
 The botanical name. Ptelea, was given to the hop lice because of 
 the elm-like shape of the seeds, for Ptelea is the Oreek name t'oi- the elm. 
 
 11 T)
 
 SWEET CICELY 
 
 Osmorhiza longistylis ( Torr. i DC 
 
 l!;iili(i- ill tlio-c woods, the spring blossoms were every- 
 wlicic ill ;i ciiipt't of s])riii_iir iH'iiutios and anonionos. Now 
 
 May - June 
 Woods 
 
 as tlu" procession of spring niovtHl iiu'xorably onward and 
 April departed and May came on, the earliest tlowers stopped blooming, 
 formed seeds, and (lisapjicarrd. In their place, the woods floor has be- 
 come carpeted with gi-ci'iicry — greenery of the wild ginger and young 
 nettles, the greenery of honewort and white asters, with the llowers of 
 wild geraniinn and the last pale blossoms of the blue phlox, bleached 
 almost whit<- now and temious in the shade. Th(> cardinals are nesting in 
 the tangle of green brier festooned in a wahoo tree: a Carolina wren is 
 nesting under an old stump: there ari' young sipiirrels up in the hollow 
 of the elm: and in ;i luoad-spreading sycamore there is a nest recently 
 vacated by a family of great homed owls. 
 
 Below, in the shadowed greenery of the woods, the white froth of 
 sweet cicely has come into bloom. It is late May and the sweet cicely, 
 marking a certain jioint in a certain cycle, indicates that now indeed it 
 is almost summer. 
 
 Sweet cicely is a member of the Parsley family and has, in com- 
 mon with so many members of that family, a ]»leasant. aromatic quality 
 which gives it distinction. The soft, dark green, finely downy leaves when 
 crushed have an odor of licorice or anise; .>^o do the stems, and the roots 
 are even more aromatic. 
 
 In late summer the .^^eeds are ripe. These are among the brotherhood 
 of stick-tights — long, dark, slightly curved fruits with recurved prickles 
 which catch on anything which passes by. and in this way the seeds are 
 transported to other ])laces. 
 
 116
 
 WHITE FALSE INDIGO 
 
 Baptisia leucantha T. ^ G. 
 
 May - June 
 
 Prairie roadsides, sands 
 
 In the days before amino compounds were 
 discovered to produce pure dyes without the 
 aid of plants, the world's supply of blue dyes 
 came from several plants native to Africa and Asia. Indigo became a 
 fortune-making crop plant. People who were fired with the knowledge 
 that the indigo plant<itions of the south were bringing their owners gi^eat 
 wealth, searched for other plants which also would give forth that price- 
 less blue dye. 
 
 Of all the wild American plants wliieh were examined and used to 
 produce indigo dye, the white false indigos of several species Avere most 
 satisfactory. But no fortune was made from those wild plants. The quality 
 of the dye was poor, the plants were not abundant enough in the wild 
 and they were not adaptable quickly to cultivation. 
 
 But the white false indigo i^lants still grow wild in America ; they 
 are fairly common in Illinois. In late May the tall and elegant spikes 
 stand erect al)0ve the bushy plants. The spike of flowers, often from one 
 to two feet tall and closely set with white, pea-shaped blossoms, is iden- 
 tified as far away as it can be seen ; oiily the white false indigo in Illinois 
 has that long wand of white blossoms, that loosely-leafy, bushy ])lant. 
 
 The plant is branched, sniootli, with grey-green, oval, kid-skin 
 leaflets arranged in trios over the stems. When the leaves, stems, flowers, 
 or fruits are bruised or broken, the skin turns blue — the ancient char- 
 acteristic which gave V\c false indigo its name and put it in tlie pages 
 of American history. 
 
 White false ind'"'o is founl In spirlv ficM-:. on prniric slopes, upland 
 
 pastures, and in the 
 
 ..•-) IS 
 
 r.'gin: 
 
 on prninc 
 
 ir;;ii:o soil n!()ii<r iTulroad tracks. 
 
 117
 
 PRAIRIE ANEMONE (Canada Anemone; 
 Anernone canadensis L. 
 
 May - June In latr M;iy when most of the delicate flowers of 
 
 Bottomlands. spriiiu- are jiast their blossoniin<r time and the 
 
 prniric roadsides iiiorc i(>l)ust llowers of siuniiior are gjowing rap- 
 idly ill the huiiiid warmth of Illinois, the prairie 
 or Canada aneiuoiics hloom. In their simple white blossoms held al)ove 
 dark fjreen leaves, these anemones take one haek into the vanished days 
 <»f early s})rino: wltere hlossoiiied llowers with this same delicacy, this 
 same tiemulousncss, in a hrcc/.e. 
 
 From the hi-avy alluvial soil of the river hanks, there where the 
 bottomland majjles and elms fjive way to a clearinj; taken over later in 
 the season by lun'sewtH'ds and trumjiet vines, thiMe now may aj^pear a 
 neat l)ed of the dark iireen leaves, deeorat(>d with the lluttering whit(^ 
 flowers of anemones. Tliey are large enough to be used as a garden flower 
 — sturdy of stem, ornamental of leaf, large of flower. These are show 
 plants. 
 
 This is the largest of our loral anemones. It may be found on remote 
 river banks, or along a highway where the gras.>^y embankment slopes up 
 to a fence or down to a ditch, or in prairie soil. The anemones always 
 are abundant wh.eiever they grow. There either are none at all or there 
 are tlozens, hundii'ds. 
 
 Now in the bright sunshine of late May and early .Tune, they deco- 
 rate their chosen jiateli of |u-aiii(> with some of the loveliest flowers of 
 the year. 
 
 118
 
 TALL ANEMONE 
 
 Anemone vicginiana L. 
 
 June Tliis is, perhaps, the stiffest and least heautiful of all the 
 
 Woods anemones. Yet because beauty is a comparative quality, the 
 tall aneirone might be called most beautiful of its tribe if the 
 others were less ornamental than they are. In the mosaic of the leaf- 
 pattern, in the tall, stiff, downy stems, in the small, green, downy star 
 which is the flower — a star of petals enclosing a globe of pistils and 
 stamens — there is a certain beauty which belongs to the Illinois wood- 
 lands in mid-June. 
 
 Now it is high summer, hot, buiniil, with long days and short warm 
 nights a-sing with tree crickets and whi])-poor-wills. There is a certain 
 polished brown oak leaf over a little way in the leaf-strewn floor of the 
 woods, where a whip-poor- \\ill has laid two ^\'hite eggs sci'awled over with 
 hieroglyphics of purple and grey and l)rown. All day the female whip- 
 poor-will broods the eggs. Against the protective l)rowns and gi'eys of 
 the woods floor, the bird is ahnost invisible, but when she flies up like 
 a great moth, the stems of the tall anemones nearby are moved by the 
 flutter of her wings. 
 
 A snail pauses a long time under the anemones. A box turtle moves 
 slowly through the woods and ])auses to scrape a hole in the loose earth 
 in which to lay white eggs. Days come and niglits fome. and by and by 
 it is July and the anemones are out of bloom. The stout leaves still stand 
 and on the ends of the wiry stems are conical bcids of compact seeds, 
 waiting to ripen. 
 
 119
 
 THIMBLEWEED 
 
 Anemone cylindrica Gray 
 
 June Mid-. I line, .iiid the caiioiiy of Icivrs to shade tho oak woods 
 
 Woods lias orowii dense and the lower strata has heeonie sha(lc-lovin<r. 
 Notliintr which needs lull sunshine will last lonjr here, hut the 
 plaids of the siiininer shade now come into their hest development. Xow 
 on the rocky hanks, often on the cool noith slopes of wooded hills, tlie 
 thimhleweed. one ol' the anemones, is in hlixmi. 
 
 Its leaves remind mie nl' those of jirairie anemone: they are almost 
 alike, hut j)erha|)s not >o deep a green hecause of the shade they need. 
 From the top wlioil of leaves rise lon<j, .slender, fii)rous steins, and at 
 the top of e;i( li. poi-ed in lie.iuty and ihe pei-fection of a simple flower, 
 is a single hlosstmi. It lias live petals of i;i-eenish white, arranirtnl around 
 a central cone of ])istils and stamens. When the petals drop away at 
 last, this seed-eone lemains and grows larger. l'erhaj)s it might be called 
 thimble-shaped — at least this is the thing which gave it it*! name. 
 
 Tjate in the autumn the thimbles of this woodland am^mone burst 
 apart and the cottony seeds and "packing" llv into the air. Xext s])riiig 
 the iliilV which remains may lie [licked up liy a uhiiiing hummingbird 
 who will lly in a swift upward swei'p to a h.ori/contal branch of an oak. 
 Here a miniature cott(Uiy nest is constructed of plant llulT and down, 
 upholstered with s|)ider webs and i)ale green lichens. The hummingbird 
 and the thimhleweed — the.^e are part of the summer wocxls.
 
 SPOTTED JEWEL-WEED 
 (Snapweed. Touch-Me-Not) 
 
 Impatiens bifloca Walt. 
 
 Summer Like a bit of hand-\\'rought golden jewelry set 
 
 Bottomland woods with tiny mines, the flower of the jewel-weed 
 
 sparkles in the morning sunshine streaming 
 through the arching woodland trees. In the heavy soil of the river bottom- 
 lands, there where the shade is dense most of the day and most of the 
 summer, the woods are covered with waist-high jungles of jewel-weed. 
 It is one of the most abundant plants of the l)ottomlauds. Its smooth 
 coolness is in direct contrast to the unpleasant prickly plants of the sting- 
 ing nettle which gTow with the jewel-weed in many of these lowland 
 localities. 
 
 The jewel-weed is a frail watery plant with a translucent, jointed 
 -tem which pours forth nuicilaginous, watery juice when cut or bruised. 
 The plant branches abundantly to form a low bush with oval, scalloped 
 leaves which wilt in hot sunshine or when jnckcd. Anumg them are the 
 small jewels which are the flowers. There is nothing else in the wild 
 just like the jewel-weed flowers. 
 
 Spotted jewcl-weodV blossom hangs like a ])endant or an ear-drop 
 from a slim stem which springs from the leaf-axil. 'I'he flower is pouched 
 and has a curled-over "tail", the end of the trunijjet in which a bit of 
 nectar lies. This lines the hummingbirds which visit the jewel-weed 
 patches all day long and thrust slender beaks into the dangling flowers 
 to get the nectai-. The seeds soon form. When they are ripe, the thin- 
 skiimed covering of the seed-pod splits, curls, and ejects the seeds into 
 the woods. At the touch of a passerby, the seed-pod simply collapses with 
 disconcerting suddenness. 
 
 121
 
 INDIAN HEMP 
 
 Apocynum cannabinum L. 
 
 Summer Tlie Indian honip. together w itli the smaller plant, 
 
 Bottomlands, sands spreading dogbane, is one of the slightly poisoiu)ns 
 
 plants of Ameriea. It eseaju's being a menaee to 
 human life simply because there is little about the Indian hemp to invite 
 a human being to eat it. But cattle, horses, and sheep oei-asionally eat 
 either the dried or flic green leaves and sii(r(>r ill elTeets from a toxic 
 ingredient called ( ymarin. 
 
 Indian heni|i. however, >eenis to eause little alarm among stock 
 raisers. The plant seldom gro\v> in pasture- or other land where livestock 
 arc allowed to graze. In sandv country, bottondand lields and on beaches, 
 the deep tap roots of Indian hemp lirmly fix themselves. The ]unki.*h 
 st<^m braiu'hes. beai's blue-gi'eeii. oval, tapering leaves with a whitish or 
 ])inkish midrib, and the llowers at the tops of the stems are ])roduced in 
 clusters. The llowers are small. bell-sha])(>d, with five spreading \)oti\\ 
 divisions, and are somewhat fragrant. In the lat<' sunuuer, autumn, and 
 all through the winter, as long as the dead stalks staiul. the long, bean- 
 like ])(k1s of winged seeds renuiin. In the nuiuner of milkweeds, the pods 
 split and the .seeds Huff out and lly away. The Indian hemp, in fact, is 
 closely related to the milkweeds and has not only silky .seeds but an 
 acrid milky juii-e. Yellow wail)lers and goldfinches are among the birds 
 which make use of the Indian hemp llult in their nests. 
 
 The silky ravels of libers which split away from the st^ilks aLso 
 arc used by birds for their nests. In the ])ast. the.se .strong fibers were 
 used for cordage by liulians of the region. 
 
 V22
 
 WILLOW AMSONIA 
 
 Amsonia tabernaemontana Walt. 
 
 Summer Tall, rather weedy-looking as a plant, with narrow, 
 
 Bottomlands willow-like leaves, the Amsonia stands in the river- 
 bottom ])nstnre or in the waste land where no crops are 
 planted because of annual floods. The Amsonia is a plant of the river 
 bottomlands, one with Clematis pitcheri and the trumpet creeper, the 
 nests of field sparrows and indigo buntings, the songs of the yellowthroat, 
 and the imminence of the river which, in a rainy summer, may flood 
 
 again. 
 
 The flower cluster of willow Amsonia is a surprise when one finds 
 it for the first time. Instead of a milkweed flower, which the milky juice 
 of the plant might lead one to suspect, or instead of a nondescript flower 
 such as the weediness of the plant might suggest, here is a delicate cluster 
 of star-shaped, pale porcelain blue flowers with a slight fragrance. Some 
 of the flowers are five-petaled, others six, tubular, paler in the throat 
 and darker on the outside of the tul^e. The silk-tufted seeds are packed 
 into a long, narrow seed pod )nuch like that of Indian hemp, in which 
 family the Amsonia is found. 
 
 Willow amsonia is a plant more commonly found in the middle west 
 and southwest than in the east, yet its name is derived from that of 
 Dr. Amson, a physician of Gloucester, Virginia, in 17 GO, who was a 
 friend of the botanist, John Clayton. Linnaeus, in searching for enough 
 names to go around to all the plants in the New World as well as the 
 old, used Dr. Amson's name to designate the ])al(' blue blossoms of willow 
 Amsonia in an Illinois river bottomland. 
 
 123
 
 LEATHER-FLOWER 
 
 Clematis pitcheri T. ^ G. 
 
 Summer In .Iniic wlu'ii it is liii^li <iiiiiincr in the river-bottom 
 
 Bottomlands coiiiiliy. then' l)l()(inis a t:tr;iii«:"e ilower along fences and 
 in tanglfs on slopes. Leathor-tlower is a clematis and 
 is one of the tyi)ical liowcrs of tlic rivci' lowlands of Illinois. 
 
 l>('ll-sli;i|i('(l. till- llowiT is ciilircly unlike ilic u>iial garden clematis 
 which is often In'ight [luiplc w itli Inur to >i\ spreading |)('tals. or is small 
 and white in a great fragrant nia>- in autumn. The wild Illinois clematis 
 is bell-shaped and thick anil -tout, on short, stilt steins. The l)ell sliades 
 from a bright rose-juirple with a silv( ly glim to pale silvery green where 
 the bell splits into loui- s|)i('a(ling petal divisions. Inside, the Ilower is 
 eom]detely tilled \\ itii si.imens. The fiuits are at the end of long cnrving 
 "tails'' covered will) >lurl -ilky hairs. 
 
 Leatiier-llower grows a> a low. sprawling \ine with a fibrous stem 
 and many side branches bearing tapered or lobed. stilt ](>aves. It is so 
 uidike any other Illinois wild Ilower that attention is immediately at- 
 tracted to its strange, thick, |)iirple and green be'ls and its compact and 
 interoling vine. It is actually a wcstein wild Ilower who.«!e eastern 
 boundary is Jndiana. It goes west into Xel)raska and south to Texas, but 
 in Illinois it bring'^ a llavor of the s(.uthwest to the steamy, weedy, river 
 bottoms when dune has come and midsuinmer is at band. 
 
 The \'iigin's bower (Clninitis rirgini(inii) is covered with white 
 blossoms as its vines twine over I'ences and shrubs in moist woods or 
 along streams in July and August. The o))]iosite leaves are three-parted 
 and their long petioles twine about their sujiports. Later in the summer 
 the long feathery styles give the fruit a very striking appearance. This 
 attractive climlier is limited to the northern halt' of the state. 
 
 124
 
 WOOD LILY 
 
 Lilium umbellatum Pursh 
 
 June - July Stiff and straight with its simple, concise stalk and its 
 Woods v.horls of leaves, the wood lily suddenly puts cups of 
 
 llame in the shadows of the sunnner woods. Unlike the 
 downward-hung bells of the Turk's cap or the yellow Canada lily, the 
 wood lily faces its red-orange cups to the shafts of sunshine coming into 
 the woods of June. Blindingly, the morning sun strikes that vivid blos- 
 som, and the light rays bounce off' the lirillianee so that the flower almost 
 seems to hold an aura of light around it. 
 
 Narrowly, the six red-orange petals taper to join the base of the 
 flower where the stiff, upi'ight stamens and the three-cleft pistil stand 
 erect. There are a few spots of purple scattered purposefully on the bright 
 yellow splash of color on the lower part of the petals. This is the flower 
 and its dramatic power, its few and precise accents wliich make of the 
 lily a splendid creature to discover in the woods. 
 
 The wood lily is rare in Illinois, but occasionally it is found in dry 
 oak woods of northern Illinois — a few here and there, standing on two- 
 foot stems, unbranched, with one flower at the top. There is one flower 
 to make seeds. Then the i)urpose of the lily for that year is finished. One 
 flower, one seed-pod, one stalk, one blub. A blazing I'ilv is in bloom. 
 
 125
 
 TURK'S CAP LILY (Wild Tiger Lily) 
 
 Lilium michiganense Farw. 
 
 June - July 
 Woods 
 
 111 late .luiit'. when tlic gro\viii<r season in Illinois be«rins^ 
 to iit't slightly out of hand, hurgvons into wcodiness and 
 too many grasshoppers, develops lush growth in the long 
 hot days and short, steamy nights, there comes a flower which returns to 
 the more chaste and restraim^d mode of gi'owth to he found in spring- 
 time. Although the Tiiik's cap lily grows often three to live feet high, 
 it never looks weedy. It possesses neat whorls i^i tajjcring leaves hugging 
 the stiff stem, holds to the dignity and simplicity of a lily. 
 
 In the sliadv woods or in ojumi sunny glades which one*- were woods 
 before the oaks were cut away, tiie Turk's caj) lilies hloom. The ])lants 
 are inctmspicuous until they l)l(H)m ; there is .<o imu h else, usually, grow- 
 ing around them, that the lily-form of the stalks is not at once noticenl)le. 
 But on a June day there suddenly are ])endent apricot-yellow buds shading 
 to deep orange-i-ose. Mach opens regally into six stiff, waxen. ]iink-orange 
 ])etals which eiiil back tightly while the six stamens hang in a group 
 below — stiimens wliose filaments are pale apricot-pink ti|)i)ed with ])ollen- 
 he<ny anthers of a bright lust color. There are small purple spots on the 
 orange ])etals, and the stems are pale green which perfectly complements 
 the color of the fb)wers. 
 
 At the smnmit of the stem with its tiers of neatly arranged whorls 
 of leavers, the flower clusti'r stands. The lower grou}) of buds opens first, 
 then the others, finally those at the lip. Sometimes the entire cluster is- 
 at its best at once, and then the woods indeed are dramatic when wild 
 orange lilies ])loom. 
 
 12G
 
 CLEAVERS (Rough Bedstraw) 
 Galium apacine L. 
 
 Summer Cleavers is the largest of the bedstraws in Illinois. It is a 
 Woods coarse, harsh plant with long, weak, reclining or ascending 
 stems along whose many ridges are innumerable saw-teeth. 
 These rasp and tear at bare flesh or clothing as a hiker walks inadvisedly 
 through a tangle of bedstraw. The plants are so massed and so well 
 armed that ])ortions of the stems tear away from the plants and are car- 
 ried oif on clotliing. 
 
 Along the stem are leaf-whorls which ;n-o three to four inches in 
 diameter with six to eight long, narrow, ro\igh leaves. 
 
 Cleavers is found as part of that low gTowth which grows in damp 
 places in the woods and swamp edges. In company with jewelweeds, 
 nettles, and docks, the bedstraw fills large areas with its pale green 
 jungle of tangled stems. Here among them the nuillards from the 
 swamp may waddle about to pick up the remains of the paired seeds in 
 autmnn, or iind a place to bed down for a siesta in the sun. Bedstraw is 
 easily trampled, so that the resting places of wild things is easily seen 
 among the stems. Yet it was not because animnls might sleep in the bed- 
 straw, but for quite another reason that it was given its name. Legend 
 long ago said that tliis coarse and [jrickly "straw" was used in Europe to 
 fill mattresses, and that the Holy Family rested in a patch of Galium.
 
 SMALL BEDSTRAW 
 
 Galium triUdurn L. 
 
 Summer Thcv arc plants of the substrata of the iiiidsiminier wckkIs — 
 Woods weak-stemmed. iiu'()ns])ieii()us plants whieli till in the gaj)* 
 anioiii; laipT ainl more ostentatious j)lants. The hedstraws 
 are numerous, mueh-hranched, traiiile, filiers-in. yet they have a certain 
 charm of their own which i^ives them their own uniiiue niche in tlie 
 woods. 'J'he hedstraws h.ave an architectural beauty, a synnnetry and 
 I'liytlnn of _i;ro\vth. 
 
 'J'he stems are arran<:;(Ml to acconnnodate many even whorls of leallets 
 and it is these leaves in their individual size, shape, and texture which 
 serve most easily in identifyin*:- hedstraws at any time of the <rrowing 
 season. .Ml ha\c four-parted, small white llowers which are held on 
 many-ljranched. thin, th.ready steins. 
 
 Smallest and most ornamental of the <iroup is small h(>dstraw. The 
 leaf-whorls are scarcely an inch in diameter, usually smaller, with very 
 narrow, dai'k ;,M('en leaves set in a si.\-])arted star around the angled, 
 weak stem. The llowers are a froth of white in midsummer. They appear 
 to be almost susjiended in the air above the tangle of dark green foliage. 
 The fruits which soon ajjpear are held in pairs on the tips of the stems. 
 
 Willi licorice ((Id'iinn rircaczfins) identifies it.self at once when 
 a })iece of the plant is broken — here is the true llavor and mlor of anise 
 or licorice. The leaves are broad, oval, four of them arranged in a 
 group in whorls along th.e short stem. Wild licorice holds its stems more 
 erect than most of th.e other hedstraws and often .sends up a number of 
 stalks from a single root. Klower stems si)ring from the leaf whorls and 
 branch several tin.e: with small greenish white llowers on each. 
 
 128
 
 SMALL PLANTAIN 
 
 Plantago vitginica L. 
 
 May - June Some of the plantains were here when Co- 
 
 Lawns, sandy uplands lumbus landed on New World shores; others 
 
 came afterward and soon grew abundantly. 
 Where the white man traveled and set up his lodging, plantains sprang 
 up next year. White-man's foot, the Indians called them, those small 
 persistent weeds which they never had seen before. Wherever the white 
 man cut the woods and broke out roads, wherever he pastured his stock 
 or laid out his fields and gardens, there, in another year or so, were 
 }jlantains growing. They seeded themselves, made deep, persistent roots 
 which could send u]) new plants if the leaves were sheared off down to 
 the ground. It took a lot to destroy the European plantains and as a 
 result they have long since encompassed the country. 
 
 One whieli is very common over most of America is the whip-lash 
 English plantain (Plantago kinceoJata) which grows in grassy places 
 and in sandy roadsides. It has a l)asal rosette of long, narrow leaves from 
 wliich rise many long, strong, slender stalks each topped with a narrow 
 head of creamy-yellowish stamens. For a little while it is a gi'aceful, 
 interesting flower-head which seeds itself abundantly. 
 
 One of the native American plantains is the less obtrusive small 
 plantain. In sandy places the small oval, haiiy leaves stand up with a 
 densely hairy little flower spike. This tenninates in a narrow spike of 
 stameny flowers. It is always a small. comi)act plant apparently without 
 the ability to multiply tremendously as the European plantains seem to 
 do. In consecjuence it is much less common — a compact little green plant 
 M'hich most people tread underfoot without even noticing what is there. 
 
 129
 
 CATNIP (Cat Mint) 
 
 Nepeta cat aria L. 
 
 Summer 'I'he soft, downy, <rrov loaves and the downy. tour-aniiliMl 
 Woods stems ol' tat nip wonld })oint it out if nothing else identilied 
 this plant with the clusters of ofrey-whito ilowers. But when 
 one crushes a leaf or smooths a stem, tlie aromatic odor whidi s])iin.i:s 
 forth tells at once tliat this is catniji. helovi^d l»y felines evcrvwhcre. Roth 
 the Latin and the coininon names concedi' to the ailmiration whieh cats 
 have for any i);)rti()n of fresh or dried catnip, for this is a recoirnized 
 (pialitv, not a fabk> — it really dws attract cats. 
 
 Perhai>s it was for the henefit of the early cats which were l)rou<rht 
 alon«T as pets and rat-catchers to the Xew World that the first catnip 
 wa.s broufrht front Kuroi)o, for this is a naturalized herb from Europe. 
 Wherever it is planted niul wherever it f^rows — and it was first of all 
 planted in eai'ly h.ei-h pirdcns in America — cats seek it out. Witli a 
 beatific expression, tiiey roll in it, nibble it, i)urr loudlv, yowl, walk 
 around it and, <i;rinnin(r toothily, roll in it once a<rain. Dried catnip often 
 is placed in imitation mice or balls, and cats will play with these for hours. 
 
 lint catnip was not only for tlie benefit of cats. It has been used a.s 
 a jiopular home remedy for infant colic. The leaves were brewed in hot 
 water a.s a tea, and even today catnij) tea is *riven for stomach ache or 
 is drunk simply as a refreshin<r afternoon beverajje. 
 
 Catni]) is a irrey plant. The leaves are a ,Lrrc(>nish-jrrev, the stems 
 are decidedly pvy. the ilowers are ^^rey-white with tiny jjurplish si)eckles, 
 and the entire plant, flowers, seeds, leaves and root, has that aromatic 
 odor which means catnip and no other plant in the world. 
 
 130
 
 MISTLETOE 
 
 Phoradendron Ravescens (Pursh) Nutt. 
 
 June 
 
 On trees in southern 
 Illinois 
 
 Plant of the remote mythical past of the Old 
 "World, yet a part of the Illinois flora, mistletoe 
 is a creature of legend. It grows wild in south- 
 ern Illinois in counties bordering the rivers and 
 forming a horseshoe beginning with Lawrence County on the Wabash 
 and ending with Jackson on the Mississippi. 
 
 Here on many an oak and apple and elm, as well as on black gum, 
 maple, sycamore, walnut, and honey locust, the great clusters of the 
 mistletoe stand revealed when the leaves fall from the host trees. High 
 above the ground the mistletoe in early sunnner blossomed with small 
 greenish-yellow flowers and in autumn its translucent white waxen ber- 
 ries are ripe. Perhaps the robins wintering in the southern part of the 
 state will come to the treetops to eat mistletoe berries. As the missel 
 thrush of England does, perhaps the robins wipe their sticky beaks on 
 a bough to clean off the clinging seeds. Thus will the mistletoe seeds 
 find a place to grow. "With never any contact with the soil, the tiny seeds 
 finally will genninate, will send ])hig roots into the l)ark and eventually 
 into the tissues of the tree. The mistletoe is a ])artial ])arasite. Althougli 
 its thick oval leaves manufacture their owm food, the plant, nevertheless, 
 is dependent upon the tree for water and minerals. The tree itself does 
 not appear to be greatly harmed by its guest. 
 
 Through the centuries the mistletoe, because of its strange maniiei' 
 of growth, has been surrounded with legend aud myth. In ancient Britain, 
 mistletoe was revered by the Druids who. at the beginning of the winter 
 solstice, held a special ceremony to cut the mistletoe from the sacred oak 
 and bits of the plant were given to all who watched the ceremony. 
 
 131
 
 WILD YAM 
 
 Dioscorea villosa L. 
 
 June 
 
 River bottom woods 
 
 III lli(> rich soil of river bottoms in Illinois, 
 |i;irl iciilarly southwnnl thi'oii.uh the state, ;i 
 ])laut wliicli is kin to crrt.iin tnipitjil spiH-ics 
 thrives and hlossoms and sets its seeds. This is tlie wild yam. 
 
 It has a tuberous root whieh apj)arently is not used a,s food. The 
 dried root of one species, however, is ii-ed as inediciiie. The hoart-shai)ed. 
 satiny leaves are deejily veined and are among the most beautiful leaves 
 to be found in Illinois. They grow from a tough, thin, twining stem 
 which binds itself around sturdier plants and climiis and dangles in the 
 
 deep shadows of the rivel-hottoill lui-e-t-. 
 
 Wild yam in .lime is in bloom. It bears sprays of flagrant, cream- 
 colored llowers suggesting those of the cultivated Madeira vine. In 
 autumn the fruits appear in ornamental clusters td' angled, winged, oval 
 seeds, artistic in shades of ludwii. 
 
 Wild yam is one of the pronuuiuit vines of the river lowlands. In 
 tlu'se humid, alluvial haunts many vines seem to thrive. In the habitat 
 of ]n"oth()notary warblers and Carolina wiens, of stinging nettles and 
 paw|)aw trees, of Hood waters and caked dry soil between Hoods, the wild 
 yam. star cucund)er. trumjict vine, bitterswe(>t, aiul wild grajjc are fouiul. 
 Here in the shadowy bottondands where the sycamores grow huge and 
 white and hollow and provide sleej)ing (juartcrs for owls and raccoons 
 and squirrels, the wild yam sends up its tendrils and its wiry stems. It 
 fe.stoons itself over thi> pawpaw trees and the wahoos aiul the old horse- 
 weeds of the year before. It is not a high-clind)ing vine like the grape.s 
 and trumpet vines; it stays low and neat and its heart-shaped leaves hold 
 their satiny gleam all sunnner long. 
 
 132
 
 COMMON GREENBRIER (Cat Brier) 
 Smilax hispida Muhl. 
 
 June 
 
 River bottom woods 
 
 Vicious with thin, needle-like thorns, the green- 
 brier makes a network of entangling vines which 
 are bright green all winter long. Clusters of 
 dark green fruits and a few shriveled leaves still hang on the vines, and 
 the cardinals which live in the woods all winter gather here. In time of 
 snow, the bright colors of the male cardinals and the more muted tones 
 of the females against the snow and the green tangle of vines is a pleasant 
 sight in a land not noteworthy for color in winter. Greenbrier tangles, 
 and cardinals . . . this is one of the pictures of the Illinois winter. 
 
 Greenbrier is common in the lowlands where it twines into trees 
 and bushes and makes a jungle of prickly vines which live unchanged, 
 except for additional growth, for many years. In the tangles in spring 
 the cardinals build a nest; they eat the green fruits in autumn, find 
 shelter among the vines in winter. In spite of the unpleasantly ]n-ickly 
 nature of the brier, it has its place in the efficient plan of the wild. 
 
 It is a true smilax. Its green stems are set alternately with ribbed 
 oval leaves, briglit green and durable. The flowers which come in late 
 May or early June are in clusters — tiny, six-petaled, gi-een-whitc blos- 
 soms. In spite of their meager appearance, they are a member of the Lily 
 family. The stems are densely thorny from the gi'ound to the top of the 
 stem, though less so on the younger growth. This prevents the greenbrier 
 from being popular as gt-eenery indoors, as its less cantankei'ous cousin, 
 the southern smilax, is used. Instead, the greenbrier remains in its 
 humid bottomlands and feeds and shelters cardinals all vear around. 
 
 133
 
 CARRION FLOWER 
 
 Smilax lasioneura Hook. 
 
 June Tliiou^di the heavy black alluvial ^-oil ol" the 
 
 River bottom woods, river-bottoms forest in s])riii<j there comes the 
 
 roadsides asparafrus-likc ti|) of llic can-ion flower. It is 
 
 stiff, not like a. vine at lirst. 'Vho smooth stalk 
 w ith its aliLMjiati'ly placed oval or heart-shaped leaves rises eobra-like into 
 the air. Tendrils emerge from axils of tlie smooth, blue-green leaves and 
 seem to grope for a ])laee on \\lii( li to lastcii tliemselves. When the ten- 
 drils at last make eontact. the plant urows more resilient and twining, 
 and grows upw.'ird by means of the support of a nearby bush or low tree. 
 
 In early June tlu>re are long, stiff, smooth stems which spring frem 
 leaf or stem axils, and tliese stems bear tight clusters of gi-eenish-yell«»w 
 or whitish flowers. ^Fhey are six-pa i-fiMl with six ]»rotruding and recurving 
 stamens, and are heavily seentt>d witb the umnistakable odor of carriim. 
 To this apparently are attracted insects which also devour carrion or lay 
 their eggs in it, and by their assistance the flowers are pollinated. 
 
 All sinnmer the smooth green vines of carrion flower twine in the 
 dusky bottondand forest. Moscjuitoes arc voracious; nettles grow high; 
 the crayfish chimneys are dry and fall over as a ])assing fishennan walks 
 by. Now in early autumn the fruit of the carrion flower is ripe. In the 
 same fonn of a tight ball, the blue-black fruits, covered with a whitish 
 bloom nnich in the manner of wild gra})es, are held in the bright sunshine. 
 Altiiough they so greatly resemble tight bunches of grapes, the fruits 
 of carrion vine apparently are not edible, and not even the passing robins 
 seem interested in eatin«: them. 
 
 i;u
 
 MOONSEED 
 
 Menispermum canadense L. 
 
 June In that cluster of bluish-black fruits which look so much like 
 Woods frost grapes in the Septoni])er woods, there are little crescent 
 moons. They are hidden inside those frosty-looking berries hung 
 on the old fence, berries which are dry and blue-black all the way through, 
 not juicy as grapes are, and not edible. When the pulp is cleaned away 
 from the seed, it stands revealed in its almost cryptic shape. It is a 
 l>erfect crescent moon three-eighths of an inch in diameter, rough and 
 ridged, the seed of the moonseed vine. The name, as not always happens 
 in connnon plant names, is most appropriate. The botanical name as well, 
 Menispermum, means the same thing — meni is moon, spermum is seed, 
 and there it is, moonseed. 
 
 The moonseed blossoms in June. Then the twining vines put forth 
 clusters of small white flowers with protruding stamens which give the 
 clusters a fuzzy look. From the rough stems the axillary stems thrust 
 out and bear their flowers which later become those clusters of fruits in 
 the warm sunshine of October. 
 
 The leaf of moonseed is thick, bi-oadly heart-sha])ed or lobed, on 
 long petioles. From an exceedingly dec]) i-oot set firmly in the heavy 
 soil of the river woods, the vine rises in s])i'ing and twines about the low 
 trees, or on a fence where a fence hajipens to coincide with the direction 
 in which the moonseed wishes to go. The family of the moonseed. which 
 lias two other members in the United States, is chiefly a tropical grou]). 
 Vines are largely of tropical origin; few if any are known to grow wild 
 in the northern forests and the still more northern countries beyond 
 the border. 
 
 135
 
 GOATS-BEARD 
 
 Aruncus dioicus (Walt.j Fern. 
 
 May - June It is a stoop iioilli liillsido whoro tho oaks stand 
 
 Steep wooded hills t.ill and small ciisp tViiis i^row. Al'tor tho hopaticas 
 
 and l)l()()(li()()t ;in(l dutrhniairs hieochos bloom in 
 April, there is little othci' Mooni on that cold north slope until late May 
 and early Juno, and then something- w under t'til h;i|>p('n-. The wild spiraea, 
 the goat's-hoard. hlossoms. 
 
 The botan\- l)ooks call it iKint's-hoard. I)ui a name like that cannot 
 justly descril)o the niamiiliciiit Ijranching sj)ikos ot i)alest cream-colored 
 fuzzy flowers — l)loss{)ming plumes which stand thi'ee feet tall above the 
 low, busby, compact plants, (ioat's-board is in bloom on the side of the 
 bill, and lor a while the hillside is lit with a s|)ecial glory ot its own. 
 
 Goat's-hoard is one of the Kose family, hut the family resemblance 
 is not as obvious in the llulfy. fuzzy Spiraeas and Aruncus as they are 
 in the mon^ obvious strawberry and cincpiofoil. Xevertbeless, the large 
 comjiound li'aves easily coulil be larg\' lompound rose loaves; the char- 
 acteristics of tho flower mechanisms are there, too. 
 
 The goat's-l)oard is fragrant, much as tho cultivated Astilbe is. 
 Ooat's-beard lo<iks liki^ a tall, loose-lloworod Astilbe and as such is worthy 
 of a place not only in the woods but in gardens everywhere. This tall 
 plant is typical ul moi>t ravines and hillsides aiul is closely associated 
 with wild hvdranjrea. 
 
 136
 
 WAHOO (Burning Bush) 
 Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq. 
 
 June The wahoo or burning bush is remarkable at two 
 
 Bottomland woods seasons of the year — in early June when it blooms, 
 
 and in autumn when it fniits. There is nothing 
 else quite like the walioo, nothing else which gTows as a low tree and bears 
 small maroon flowers, no other tree in autumn which is decorated with 
 a host of little pink lanterns. Even its Indian name is odd, easy to 
 remember, tyi)ical of an American ])lant in American woods. "AVahoo*' is 
 derived from a Dakotan Indian word. 
 
 The wahoo is one of the few shrubs with opposite twigs, leaves, and 
 Ijuds. This is a mark to look for at seasons when neither flowers nor fruits 
 name the plant at once. The leaves are oval and finely toothed; they 
 look a good deal like those of bittersweet, to which it is closely related. 
 The flowers come in May or early June. They burst on thin, much- 
 branched sprays from the axils of the leaves — small, four-petaled, maroon 
 llowers and round little buds. Like the flowers of l)ittersweet. those of 
 wahoo are of two sexes on separate trees, so that there must be trees of 
 l)oth sexes in order for the fniiting trees to bear. 
 
 They are little noticed until autumn. Then when the bittersweet is 
 orange and the ])awpaw leaves in the bottomland woods are like pale yel- 
 low silk and drift to the ground, the fruits of the wahoo suddenly make 
 their presence known. They hang like little Oriental lanterns on slender 
 stems, fruits with a ])urple-pink shell whicli splits to reveal scarlet seeds 
 hanging on white threads. The fruits renmin on tb.e low trees for some 
 time, but are not eaten by many creatures, though small rodents seem 
 to relish them. The dried bark of the root is a strong cathartic, and has 
 been known to poison cattle that eat bark or twigs. 
 
 137
 
 j'Ti, ji 
 
 BLACK SNAKEROOT < Sanidc. Stick-Tights) 
 
 Sanicula marilandica L. 
 
 May - June In the div woods there comes tlie wocdy-looking phiiit 
 Woods called sanide or hlack suakeroot, with its somewhat aro- 
 
 matic leaves and stem and its reputation lor healing. 
 Tiong ago when the ])lant was named Sanicula, the name was derived 
 Iroiu .'<(inus, the Latin word meaning to licaJ. It is nut s{)ecified just 
 what ailment the sanicle healed, but at one time a tonic was made of tiie 
 juices from its roots and ])roba])ly this brew was poured down the throats 
 of the ailing young and ohl in the ])i()neer days of Ameriea. 
 
 The i)hint of saniele is slendi-r and rather interesting from the stand- 
 |)oint of its groups of spreading, glossy, bright green leaves with their 
 deep toothing and incised veining. From the groups of leaves which 
 grow in whorls when* tlie stems ])ranch, the sloiuhu' flower stems jut out 
 at graceful angles. The llowers are tiny single heads of greenish-yellow 
 blossoms, not Ijcautilul as one thinks of a beautiful tlower, but neverthe- 
 less completely equipped to pnHluce seeds to ])erpetuate sanicle in the 
 Illinois woods. 
 
 These seeds in late sunnuer and autumn are iunong the many hitc-h- 
 hiking seeds which leave the ])arent plant, travel elsewhere by means of 
 some other creature's locomotion, and start a new colony. Sanicle has 
 small, round, hard seeds covered with short, soft, curving prickles. 
 When any fal)ric or fur l)rushes |)ast the sanicle fruits tlu-y immediately 
 are se))arated from the ])lant and go off. loiter, the seeds are dislodged 
 from their carrier, fall to the ground and next year there are sanicle 
 ])lants in that spot. 
 
 138
 
 HAIRY PENSTEMON (Beard Tongue) 
 
 Penstemon hirsutus (L.) Willd. 
 
 May - June 
 
 Spring is over, and in its departure the blossoming 
 
 Dry woods, hills of the hairy penstemon appears on the rocky hills 
 
 and dry slopes of Illinois. The penstemon comes 
 as a final gesture of May. an introduction to June and high summer. Yet 
 penstemon still has something of the quality of spring flowers, but has 
 that sturdiness also which is common to sunnner blossoms. 
 
 Hairy penstemon on a dry, sunny Illinois hill has a straight tall 
 stem decorated with pairs of opposite, hairy, stemless, tapering leaves. 
 The flower head is plumy and large, the small stems downy and often 
 a spiderweb is strung among them. The flowers are tubular, white or 
 lavender-white, with purple ])ee-lines in the throat. All of the flower 
 tnnnpets face outward in a loose, globular cluster. The tubular flower 
 is five parted, with a three-lobed lip much as in the mints. The throat 
 is densely bearded, hence the name of board tongue which is often given 
 to the penstemons. They are constructed in such a manner that only 
 specialized insects may push through for the nectar at the end of the tube. 
 
 In addition to the above there are at least six other species of 
 penstemons in Illinois. Two deserve special mention. The pale beard 
 tongue {Penstemon pallidum) with downy leaves, tall nearly smooth 
 stems, and nearly white flowers that are short-tubular, is found in dry 
 wooded slopes. The foxglove penstemon (Penstemon digitali'?) ]x>rhaps 
 is most frequently found throughout the state. It grows in dry and 
 moist soils and often forms large colonies of plants which gi'ow 3 to 5 
 feet tall, with smooth leaves. The flowers axe white or purplish, the 
 corolla a little more tlian an inch long and gradually enlarged upward. 
 
 139
 
 SICKLEPOD 
 
 Arabis canadensis L. 
 
 May - June In spriiiu wlien iho wotxls still contain tlu' coinpiut. tlie 
 Deep woods coloiiul, or the lloweiiul ])liints, there grows a tall,, 
 ra<i<;ed-lookin<i stem of a plant which seems to lieiong 
 more to open roadsides in snmmer than to the shade of hilly woods. Now 
 in company with the llowers of l)liie])ells, the sponge-like growth of 
 morels, and the Hash of the scarlet tanager in the hmad new leaves of 
 the oaks, is siiklepod. one of the Mnstard family. 
 
 The stem is px i,inii(l;il. I;ip( ring from a leafy hase, up, up, graduateil 
 to smaller leavt's as it goes, not branching for a long time, until the to]) 
 e.\])ands into many thin branches which all extend upward and ])roduce 
 small greenish yellow llowers. They are a rather disappointing result of 
 all that promising growth. I-'tdlow ing the llowers, the seeds rapidly de- 
 velop in long, thin, curved seed pods — these jire the sic-kle-shaped pods 
 which gave the plant its name. The stalk remains during most of the 
 sunimer, the seed sickles now thrt>(> inches long, curving, dry, releasing 
 the tiny seeds, so that next spring the same cycle of a tall stalk in the 
 damj) ravine will interrupt itselt in ,-mnll llowers and nuuv sickle-sha])ed 
 pods. 
 
 Similar to the above although a .shorter ])lant is the smooth rock 
 cress {Arahis laevigata) which is found growing on the sides of rocky 
 ravines. It is emphatically a .<hade i)lant. In contrast with the last is 
 sand cress (.Im/Mv li/nila) one of th(> earliest spring llowers in the .sand 
 dunes and on rocky banks. The basal leaves are lyrate hut those on the 
 stems are linear. A (lose relative, the A^irginia rock cress (Arahis vir- 
 ginica) is found in rocky woods and in the fallow fields. The ])lants usual- 
 ly are prostrate and much branched at the hase with jjinnatifid leaves. 
 
 140
 
 HONEWORT 
 
 Cryptotaenia canadensis (L.) DC. 
 
 June 
 
 Woods, bottoms 
 
 It comes when the woods of Illinois long since have 
 been given over to the weedier plants and the lush 
 growth of summer. The oak woods are dense and 
 rank with harsh plants and stinging nettles, v.dth horseweeds and mos- 
 quitoes and poison ivy. Contrasting with the neatness and orderly growth 
 of leaf and flower in the spring woods, the woods of sunmier in Illinois 
 are overgrown, for the most part unpleasant to penetrate. 
 
 Yet even this period of growth and time is important in the eco- 
 logical scheme of this particular region. The humidity and heat of sum- 
 mer, in which the hon:eweeds attain a height ranging from ten to fourteen 
 feet in a good season, is the same heat and humidity which makes the 
 remarkable corn crop of Illinois develop to its fidlest extent. 
 
 There in the woods where the shadows are deep, the honewort blooms 
 inconspicuously and makes its seeds. The leaves usually are borne in 
 threes or fives, are of varying sizes, shar])ly saw-toothed and dark green. 
 The plant is somewhat aromatic. The flowers are sparsely produced on 
 scanty, delicate umbels. 
 
 In late summer and autumn when hikers again find their way into 
 a woods in which frost has laid low many of the objectionable ])lants. the 
 honewort seeds are dis])ersed. Lightly they are attached to clothing which 
 brushes past them, or they cling to tlic (nr of a dog, or to a cow's tail, 
 and drop off elsewhere. And in the passing of the autumn and winter 
 and with the coming of another s})ring, new honewort ])lants s]u-ing up 
 from the places where the seeds came to rest. 
 
 141
 
 BLACK-EYED SUSAN 
 
 Rudbeckia hirta L. 
 
 June- July 111 .luiii' jind .liily. Ilnwci-s ;in' found along 
 
 Roadsides, fields, uplands nuulsidcs and in sunny tifhis — now tlio face 
 
 oT till' fields is [jaiuted with blossoms. Tho 
 woods in spiiiii:' I'orc the uii'iit hurst of early bloom, but now the cominj; 
 of deoj) shade in the wood,-- and bright sun in the open has brought the 
 tide of blossoms into the sunshine. Over tlie uplands and along the coun- 
 try roads, the black-eyed su^ans gild the countryside. 
 
 Of them all, perhaps, tlic black-eyed susan is one of the l)rightest 
 and most colorful, among the best adapted to l)ou([uets and garden use 
 as well as to life in the sunny n|)lan(ls. The fact that it has a merr}' 
 conunou name makes it known as a llowei* of the ])eople who have loved 
 it for generations. As a conellower. denizen of the ))rairie, it ?eeniP to 
 l)r unharnicil by the coating of roadside dust which does little to dim 
 the oi-ange-yeilow splendor of the tlowers. The center is hard, a cone- 
 shaped formation of stamens and pistils, purple-black, lluMi studded 
 with yellow j)()llen as the stamens mature. The leaves and stems aiv cov- 
 ered with long, stout hairs. Thes(^ sene to kee|) the dust from clogging 
 the breathing |iores or stomata. which ki'cp the plant alive and function- 
 ing ])roperly. 
 
 Thin-leaved conellower or biowii-eyed susan { Umlhrckia frilnha) 
 h)oks like a snuill black-eyed susan. It bhwrnis late in the sunnner when 
 most black-eyed susans are ])ast their blossoming time, and makes mas.ses 
 of bright yellow and black llowers along shady roads. The llowcrs of thin- 
 leaved conellower are about half th.e size of llud})er}yui liirfn. are held sep- 
 arately on many-branching stems above leaves which are thin, hairy, and 
 varv from a three-lobed fonn to tho.se which are narrow and unlobed. 
 
 \4-2
 
 THE FLEABANES 
 
 Ecigeron species 
 
 May - June Even though wild geraniums may bloom and a few 
 
 Roadsides, fields violets may l)e left, it is a good indication that spring 
 
 is waning when the fleabanes begin to bloom. In pas- 
 tures and sunny places stand up the many-branched heads of these small, 
 daisy-like flowers, the Erigerons. They are slightly fragrant, delicately 
 colored, rather weak and l)rittle of stem. They are the forerunners of 
 hordes of summer Composites whose appearance now and through the 
 sunnner months will increase as the heat grows and the summer days 
 mature. 
 
 Daisy fleabane's flower is a bright yellow, velvety disk of stamens 
 and jjistils surrounded by many line, thready rays. They are so thready 
 and fine that in Philadelphia fleabane {Erigeron i)hiladelphicus) there 
 may be 150 to 200 rays in one small flower. It is. on the whole, an 
 attractive blossom, not especially weedy in appearance, although to most 
 people it is a weed. Children for generations have gathered fleabane 
 "daisies'^ as bouquets for their mothers or for their dolls. 
 
 Means of identifying three of llic ileal)anes r('(|iiir(' close observation. 
 Erigeron annuus one of the few American weeds to be naturalized in 
 Europe, has clasping, tapering leaves; the rays are wliite tinged with 
 pink or lavender and are rather short as compared witb tlic width of the 
 center of the flower. Erigeron pJiiladelphicus is hairy with clasping, hairy 
 leaves which usually are toothed or lol)ed. The rays are very abundant and 
 are rose-purple or pink or white; the buds droop. Erigeron strigos^us is 
 the most slender of the three, with very narrow, alternate leaves. The rays 
 are white, twice the length of the yellow disk center. 
 
 143
 
 ^^^^^^^^HSI^^^^B^^l 
 
 
 ^Hi^^^^^ .^^^1 
 
 pr^ ^^^^1 
 
 
 WHITE AVENS 
 
 Geum canadense Jacq. 
 
 June Tlioro arc certain wild llowcrs wliicli liavc earned the name 
 Woods ol weed because of an undeniably disagreeable attribute of 
 entan<rlin;: themselves in the dcstinicj^ ol passersby. Xobody 
 seems to love a (lower w hidi produces armed I'liiits which in late summer 
 and autumn hook themselves into any cloth or wool or fur which brushes 
 a<j^ainst tliem. and. hiter on, ar(> dillicult to remove. When the plant has 
 the further disadvantage of insi<:uilicant llowers. tlicn the whole thing 
 seems, to us. to be a waste ot Nature's time and elVort. 
 
 Tt is easy to look at the wihl tilings trom the view|>oint of a human 
 beinir with certain need.- ami values, certain attitudes and dislikes, certain 
 standards of conduct and beauty. It is not so easy to observe a ]dant 
 objectively for what it is, as an item in Nature's economy which may 
 have a reason foi" beinjr which is (juite beyond hum;:n understanding or 
 a))preciation. The fact that a plant is there, has survived glacial ejioohs 
 and the cataclysms of th.e geologic j)ast. aiul is able ellici«'ntly to attract 
 the proper iu.-ccls which Icrtilize the seeds, and is able to distribute them 
 to other ])laces where they will grow and not crowd the parent i)lant, 
 shoidd be enough to icccimncnd it. 
 
 So — here is avens, minor iiKMnbcr ot the magniticent liose tamily. 
 Here are weedy little plants with thin stems and leaves which are a goo<l 
 deal like tho.-^e of a blackben-y, and llowers which are reduced to scarcely 
 visible white petals around a large stamen-filled c(Miter. As soon as the 
 ])etals fall, the center develops into a seed head comjiosed of many fruits, 
 each topj)ed with a curving prickle. This easily becomes attached to 
 creatures passing by and the seeds thus are transj)orted far away. 
 
 144
 
 teftlB-'-^.TftiWSa* t^ j^ 
 
 SHEEP SORREL 
 
 Rumex acetosella L. 
 
 May - June Wlien old pastures and unused fields of Illinois take 
 
 Fields, roadsides on in miniature the colors of the Grand Canyon and 
 
 the Painted Desert, then spring is over and early 
 summer is on th.e land. It is now that the sheep sorrel sends up thin, 
 wispy, whip-lash spikes which blossom with tiny flowers and later seeds 
 in shades of yellow, rose, rus.^et, orange, and brown. A field of sheep 
 sorrel is all these colors in ;in ever-changing pattern of color which is so 
 common that it usually is ignored, yet so beautiful that it may be com- 
 ])ared with the rich hues of the ancient and more ])(>nnauent ])aint of the 
 Arizona desert. 
 
 8hee]j sorrel is not an exotic flower. It is neithei- a i-ose nor an orchid, 
 but is a memlicr of the Buckwheat family and is akin to smartweeds, 
 docks, and buckwheats. It has a basal cluster of halberd-shaped leaves, 
 dark gi*een and acid of juice, and several flower stems bearing a few small 
 leaves. The flowers bloom with abundant jwllen and the seeds form ahnost 
 at once. The colors cover a wide range of tones of red and yellow and 
 orange, so that the field of sheep sonol presents that ])astel. many-colored 
 effect so typical of this ]jlant. 
 
 Like many of the other docks, sheep soi'i'e! is eilil)!e, boHi boiled as 
 greens and as a base for a sou]). A small anu)iint ot the fresh young leaves 
 makes an unusual seasoning for iiofatoes, rice, fish, or as an in<rredient in 
 a mixed salad. 
 
 When eaten raw, sheep son-el should be taken in small <|uantities 
 because of the presence of potassium oxalate in the leaves. AVhen boiled, 
 the acid is reduced to harml(>ssness. In France the sorrel is planted in 
 boxes in basements, kept dark, and the pale leaves used as a delectable 
 item in salads. 
 
 115
 
 POKEWEED ( Scokc. Garget. Indian Poke) 
 Phytolacca americana L. 
 
 June - September 
 Waste places, woods 
 
 'l"hiii-tiii,ii throufrli the moist earth of the April 
 woods coincs the Iiuli;m pokeweed. The shoots 
 ari' ])ale f^reon and siuciilcnt. in chiiiips. in 
 iinnip.'*, somotinies l)y dozens where there used to he an oM woods eahin 
 01- a eh'ariiii:- now iriven hack to the woods. The Indian i»oke comes when 
 tlie molds are ,i:i'owin,i;\ when the \iolet- are in hh)om and inayapples 
 oix'u their white lh>wers. It is at this time in it.s >jrowth that the ]»ale, 
 jni( V stems and crinkled, tender leaves of ])oke are pithered and cooked 
 as "greens. Tliose who uather Indian poke, howevei-, nmst carefnlly cut 
 off the .shoots al)o\c the uroiind. not pull them up. hecause the hi^' ruddy 
 root is poi.sonous and must never be included in the dish of <j:reens. 
 
 The pokeueed contimu^s to sxrow. If the shoots are gathered, new 
 ones within a few days will make their ap|H'arance. The stalks hraiuh. 
 the stems jsrrow stout and lall. until each plant makes a hroadly spreadinjr 
 hu.sh with thin, ^n-eeii. tapered leaves upon it. Then in .June tliere a])i)ear 
 racemes of small, ureenish-white llowers which are followed rpiickly by 
 racenu's of small. Hat iircen buttons of beriMcs. .slowly, throuiih the sum- 
 mer, these ^row to be as lar,L:-e as })eas and by ()ci;il)er have turned dark 
 piirj)lc-hlack and are lilled with purjjle juice. Now the .stalks of the 
 Indian poke ha\e turned a bright mairenta, as if they had been dipped 
 in dye, and to the poki'weed jiatches come tlu> robins, bhukbirds. and 
 bluebirds to eat the juicy heiries. The robins have .stained bo.soms 
 and beaks, and sit about waitin<i- for the berries to di<rest that more may 
 be eaten. Then comes hard frost. The last of the berries are prone, the 
 thin leaves, always so frost-sensitiv(>. wilt away, but icmain for a largt' 
 part of the wintei-. pale and dry and thin as paper, on the bleai'hed, dried 
 bushes of the j)oke. Tbe.se skeletons stand all winter and fall down when 
 new shoots push tliem ;:ut of the way. 
 
 I4()
 
 HEART-LEAVED UMBRELLAWORT 
 
 Mitabilis nyctagineus (Michx.) MacM. 
 
 May - June Beside the railroad tracks, there in the cinder 
 
 Waste places, roadsides ballast where fast wheels roar past many 
 
 times a day, there stands a low, bushy plant 
 with delicate pink llowers like miniature azaleas. But it is not akin to 
 the elegant azaleas — this is the lowly umbrellawort which is related to 
 the garden four o'clock or marvel of Peru. Umbrellawort's flower resem- 
 bles the latter, but is smaller. It has a pleasant color of lavender-rose, 
 is prettily plaited and fluted, hangs forth its widespread bell, and in 
 the June sunshine the plant stands there making seeds and producing 
 more flowers through much of the sunnner. 
 
 In spite of its habitat which so often is beside railroad tracks or 
 in waste places, the umbrellawort is a smooth, clean plant. The heart- 
 shaped leaves grow ()i)])osite each other on the jointed stem, which forks 
 above almost every })air of leaves. The flower clusters are placed at the 
 top of the stem, just above the last pair of leaves. 
 
 Umbrellawoit is not in bloom all day long, not unless the day is 
 cool and clomly. Usually the flowers are open in the morning and have 
 closed by afterncon, but next day as the summer sun comes U}) and a 
 hot day begins all over again with the wild songs of indigo buntings on 
 the wires, new unihrcllaworts ()[;('n \vi;l(\ 
 
 147
 
 WILD BLACKBERRY 
 
 Rubus allegheniensis Porter 
 
 May - June T\M-hn))s tho most vinlpntly prickly plant in Illi- 
 
 Roadsidcs, uplands iiois. not tounlin.ii" tiie ^ici'ii l»ri(»r, may be the 
 
 foininon hlackhorry with its viciously recurved 
 prickle-thorns. iJke those on some cultivated roses, these thorns are sharp 
 as n(x^dles and viTy slronj::; they rip llcsli or clothiii<; with e(|ual ease. 
 >o that the picker of wilcl l)lackl)errics nnist ^o armed with tlie ])roper 
 ])rotection or suH'er the cnnseciucnces. July and Aujrust are wild i)lack- 
 berry time in Illinois, n plci-jint time of juicy ripe black globules under 
 a hot Slimmer sim. 
 
 In late ^lay and e;iily .lime the wihl l)laekl)erries I'ome into hhiom 
 along the roadsides ami at the edges i)f thickets, along pasture fences 
 and on dry hills. The tangles of hushes are decorated now with big clus- 
 ters of iive-])etaled white Mowers, like large white ai)i)le blossoms with 
 a star-shai)ed center empliasized by the cluster of loose dark stamens. 
 A blackberry llowei- is one of the most delicate and jjure white blossoms 
 in the wild. 
 
 The blackbeny. together with the strawbi-rry. raspberry, plum, 
 cherry, apj)le. peach, and pear all l)elong in the imjxirtant family of 
 Koses, one of the most wonderful and widely spread plant families in 
 the world, ilemheis of this family are found over all i)arts of the northern 
 hemisphere where the climate is temperate and there are sunnners and 
 autumns, winters and springs mui-h as we know them in Illinois. A 
 sunny lane, a catbird singing, a vireo nesting in the thorny canes, and 
 wild Idackberry blossoms glistening white in the sunshine. 
 
 148
 
 COMMON CINQUEFOIL (Five Finger) 
 
 Potentilla simplex Michx. 
 
 May - June Over the dry hilltop and among the low- 
 
 Grassy places, uplands grasses, the traveling stems of common cinque- 
 foil follow their whims and root where they 
 rest on bare earth. They are very much like a strawberry in this, and the 
 plant, in fact, mimis its bright yellow little butterc-up of a flower, might 
 be confused with a wild strawberry plant setting out its ninners. 
 
 The cinquefoil is a common plant, one much loved by children who 
 think it is a small sort of buttercup but very welcome anyway to add to 
 a bouquet. The flowers are half an inch broad, bright gleaming yellow 
 with five, bluntly heart-shaped petals around a yellow center composed 
 of many stamens. Like the other cinquefoils, it is a member of the Rose 
 family, whose tribal characteristics are easily visible in the simple flower 
 and the compound leaves. 
 
 Five-finger, it is often called. Anyone who saw tbose five neat leaflets 
 on the leaf-stem, alternately placed along the traveling nmners, would 
 know why someone called the cinquefoil by that easily remembered name. 
 It is found connnonly in dry places and in the sand country, in sunny, 
 dry oak clearings, when May is past its middle and summer is coming 
 warmly down upon the land. 
 
 149
 
 ROUGH-FRUITED CINQUEFOIL 
 
 Potentilla recta L. 
 
 June It is iilways uiinnstakahly June and siimiiiertinie 
 
 Uplands, roadsides u hen, aloii^- sandy roads and on slopes and always 
 
 ill l)Ia/,in<i- hot sunshine, the pale yellow ilowers of 
 rough-fruited ciiKinelnil hloom. 
 
 They arc an inch hroad. with live hcart-sha|tcd petals of a creamy 
 liirht yellow. They aiv much like the sin-ile yellow rose, and in fact holong 
 to the rose laniilv. ]>ut the einiiueloil is called a weed. It came over to 
 this country as an uninvited innnitirant from the fields of EuroiX". 
 
 No one know> just how it liap|icnc(| \n conic here. It may have come 
 in a hit of niud caught in the heel of an immigrant from France. It may 
 liave come in a hale of hay, for the cin<|uefoil grows in grain fields and 
 often is threshed with the wheat, oats, or rye whose fields it inhahils. 
 At any rate, the roiigh-rruitcd cin(|uefoil some years ago came across the 
 Atlantic and si-atter((l it-cll in tliat determined way jiiants have in i)er- 
 ])etuating themselves, and iniilt iplied. Now. authorities say. it is found 
 from Maine to Ontario. Illinois, and District of ("olumhia. 
 
 'The tloweis are fragile. The hea it-shaped petals last Ie.<s than a day 
 and as the sun go(\< down in the .lune north, the jietals drift to the 
 ground and more huds prepare to open the next morning at dawn. The 
 plants are stiff, rather liushy with compound, deeply toothed, roughish 
 green leaves. 
 
 150
 
 WILD ROSE 
 
 Rosa Carolina L. 
 
 May - June Pale pink, five, petaled, wild roses, fragrant with the 
 
 Roadsides, woods essence of early summer, grow in a prickly tangle 
 
 along railroad tracks, in woods, and in upland 
 pastures. 
 
 Casually, the buds of roses open. They are fresh and new as the 
 morning of the world. They spread theii' uni(|ue j^erfume to the sun and 
 the butterflies, last but a day, and, when the sun is sliding into the west, 
 drop their five, heart-shaped, pink ])e(;als and prepare to open more buds 
 next morning. 
 
 It is June in Illinois and roses are in l)locm. Over the whole northern 
 hemisphere, from China to Knghmd and fram Sandwich to Seattle, other 
 rose.s bloom. For although England claims the rose for its national em- 
 blem, Iowa, New York, and North Dakota call the American wild rose 
 their state flowers, and District of Columbia uses the American Beauty 
 as its own special flower, the rose belongs to the world. There is a vast 
 kinship and unity among the people everywhere who love roses. 
 
 There are two upright bushy roses, commonly found on the uplands 
 of Illinois.* which are rather difficult to distinguish. The pasture rose 
 (Rosa Carolina) usually has straight ]jrickles. with glandular fruit and 
 usually with calyx lobes deciduous. The meadow rose (A'o.sa hlanda) 
 usually has no ])rickles. has smooth t'niit and usually |)ersistent calyx 
 lobes. Both \isually have leaves which have seven leallets. Another com- 
 mon rose, found on prairies and in moist woodlands, is the climbing rose 
 {Rosa setigera) which has long stems armed with curved pi'ickles; the. 
 leaves have three leaflets. 
 
 151
 
 June - July 
 Roadsides 
 
 SALSIFY (Oyster Plant) 
 
 Tragopogon dubius Scop. 
 
 Siilsily \\;i> plniiU'd ill gardens loiifj ai;o in the days when 
 oiilv luiropcaii <rarden seeds were known and planted in 
 jtioneer soil. But salsify didn't Inni;- remain in pirdens. 
 Its fluffy-headed seeds went ilying over the et)untryside and ]»!anted 
 themselves wherever they came to rest, wherever they could penetrate 
 the soil and start a root. The root grew fast and stout and hairy — the 
 odihle ])art of the oyster |)hmt or salsify — and sent up in s]trini:tinie the 
 long, almost grass-likt', bright green leaves. 'Vhcu in .lune tlie jjlant grew 
 taller and hoi-e long smooth stems wiili liud.- al the li])s. long, tapered, 
 graceful buds wliirli. on ;i biight sumincr morning, open as beautiful 
 yellow or purple llowers. 'i'bere are three species of salsify, Trtujop'xjon 
 porrifoJius which is pur|)le and is most commonly escaped from gardens, 
 T. diihiu-f with its yellow {lowers and a broadei- range aero.-^s the conti- 
 nent, and 7'. prdfrnsis which is sometimes called yellow goat's-heard. 
 They grow much alike except for the striking dilference in the flower 
 colors. 
 
 A little while after a llowcr has blossomed — it opens in the morning, 
 ])V noon is closed, am 
 
 bv next tlav is forming its fruit- 
 
 the enclosing 
 
 bracts open and there in the morning sunshine is a ilufF-ball many times 
 larger than that of a dandi'Iion. though ])atterned upon it. The ball is a 
 l)ale bulf color. These big pulf-balls of the salsify stand briefly along the 
 roads and railroad embankments, then break a,s the winds come and blow 
 the fluff-borne seeds into th(> sutmner air. Once again the salsify is on 
 its wav. 
 
 152
 
 MAYWEED (Dog Fennel) 
 Anthemis cotula L. 
 
 June - August The. neglected barnyard is odorous with the 
 
 Barnyards, waste places rank-smelling weeds which seem to gather 
 
 al)out man and his farm abodes whenever he 
 does not take the trouble to keep them weedless. The jimson, the poke, 
 the motherwort, the yarrow, tansy, burdock, pigweed, the dog fennel or 
 mayweed — they are all strongly scented, strongly rooted, strongly fixed 
 in the backyards and barnyards of America. 
 
 Among them all, mayweed perhaps is most odorous. Its densely 
 fine-cut, dark green leaves and many-branched stems are violently aro- 
 matic, its small daisy-like flowers rank. Contact with leaves, stems, and 
 flowers often cause a severe case of dermatitis in susceptible individuals, 
 and it is shunned l)y hogs, sheep, and cattle who will not touch it for 
 food. Consequently in the barn lot and the neglected, over-grazed pasture, 
 only the weeds such as mayweed, which are distasteful to animals, remain 
 when all edible herl)age is gone. The result is a weed patch of no use to 
 anyone. The hogs and cattle roam througli the malodorous plants and 
 look in vain for an edible moutliful. 
 
 Mayweed, aside from its rank odor and weediness, is, after all, a 
 cheerful-looking little daisy with a flower bearing the typical flat yellow 
 center and spreading wliite rays as found in more elegant daisies. It is 
 about a third or half the size of the common ox-eye daisy, and is closely 
 related to it in the Composite family. Like the common daisy {Chrysan- 
 themum leuoanthemiim) , the mayweed is one of the plants which long 
 ago was naturalized from Europe. 
 
 153
 
 YARROW (Milfoil) 
 
 Achillea millefolium L. 
 
 June - July A l{)n<i- time ago, far back in the days of heroic Grocee 
 
 Fields, pastures when men wore gods and giMls were men. the hero 
 Achilles, it is said, discovered eertain medicinal virtues 
 in aromatic leaves whicli he u^i^d in treating 'relej)lnis during the i)lague. 
 That is the legeaid — and at any rate the ])lant which is native of Europe 
 and Asia has l)een namcnl Aehillea tor a gCKxl many centuries. Yarrow, 
 we call it, and know it as a eonnnon and not uni)h'asantly seented weed 
 of the summei- Held- jiiul roadsiih's. 
 
 Yarrow i> a grey-green |)lnnl, a still", (ihrous stalk Ix'aring numerous 
 very finely divided leaves, iiliuost l'ernlik'(> in a|)|)earance. The hasal 
 rosette of fern-like leaves is hirger than the stem leaves and remains 
 throughout the wiiitei-. The st<Mn near the to|) hranelies and at the top 
 of each divided liraiuli is a Hat head of small white ilowers. These are 
 aiTanged with five s(|uarish. petal-like rays around a yellowish-wliite, stiff 
 center ot stamens and pistil. When tiie yarrow is in l)l(K)m it presents to 
 the sunnner sunshine anil rain a compact. Hat head or corymb of flowers 
 which lasi< a long time. When the ))lant at last has seiTcd its time and 
 the llower stalk dies, the llower liead remains in a dry state nnich as it 
 was in life. 
 
 The entire |)lant is aromatic, an oiloi- n!)t unpleasant to most people, 
 but when cows mistakenly nibble yarrow leaves, a strong and most un- 
 ])leasant flavor and scent is given to the milk. When grass in the pasture 
 is amj)le and green, cows seldom or never eat yarrow or other undesirable 
 plants, but when |)asturage is low and focxi scarce, even the distasteful 
 yarrow may l)e devoured. 
 
 154
 
 VENUS'S LOOKING-GLASS 
 
 Specularia perfoliata (L.) A. DC. 
 
 May - June There comes a plant in late May and early June, an 
 
 Sunny banks, inconspicuous plant with a short stem set vdth. clasp- 
 bottomlands ing, cupped leaves, A\hich grows in waste places and 
 dry woods. Not at all important-looking, no flower as 
 vet . . . but now as June arrives, the stem grows taller, elongates so 
 that the cupped, scalloped leaves are further apart than at first they were, 
 and there is a bud in eacli leaf-cup. In a few days the buds at the bottom 
 of the stem open in the bright June sunshine. The Venus's looking-glass 
 is in bloom. Those dozen or so oval leaves are the "mirrors", said the 
 ancients who knew it long ago in Greece, and the five-parted, bright 
 blue-purple flower set in each leaf is the bright face of Venus, the 
 channer, looking out. 
 
 Venus's looking-glass is one of the plants whose whimsical name sets 
 it apart from ordinary flowers and makes it umisual and interesting. It 
 is not actually an unconnnon or rare plant ; wliore it grows, it is abun- 
 dant. But its charm lies not only in its delightful name and legend, but 
 in the shining, pure pur])](^ of tlie flower witli its white center and five 
 calyx lobes standing out like a star between tlie oval ])etals. Not since 
 violet time have there been such brilliantly bhie-i)urple blossoms in the 
 woods. 
 
 Venus's looking-glass is an annual which seeds itself abundantly each 
 June when once again it lu'comcs ])art of the early summer landscape 
 of Illinois. 
 
 155
 
 SLEEPY CATCHFLY 
 
 Silene antirrhina L. 
 
 June Oil the dry sunny slope at the top of the field, there 
 
 Sunny slopes w lioro the fence protects many plants which grow and 
 l)l(>oni in the Juno sunsliino. tlicrc are thin, wiry plants, 
 two feet tall or so, which o])on tiny pinkish-wliitc ilowers on a bright day. 
 The flowers are very small lor a plant so large, yet the whole tiling is 
 not coarse, as so many sununor ])lants are, hut has the wiry attenuation 
 of a compact ]ilant irrowu spindling. This is sloc])y catchlly. a member vi 
 the Pink iiunily. 
 
 The little stany llowcrs open aliovo a large, stiff, somewhat inflated 
 calyx, which stands erect on the stem. Th(> leaves are narrow and tapeivd, 
 opposite on tlio jointed stem. And this is tiie curious thing about the 
 sleepy catchlly. On that sK-nder stem there are patches of bruwn stieky 
 .stuff which serve to ])revent ants from crawling up the stem to reach 
 the flowers — a natural flyj)aj)cr or "tanglefoot" whiih .senes the same 
 purjioso as bands of a similar substame ))ut around the trunks of trees. 
 
 The flowers of sleepy catchfly are pollinated by Hying insects; ants 
 are forbidden. The flowers open only for a short while during a sunny 
 day and usually are closed by noon, hence the connnon name of sleei)y 
 catchfly. There among the tall grasses and coarser weeds the slim stems 
 of the catchlly live out their lives, blossom brielly, nuike inflated pods 
 of seeds, scatter them, disappear. And on the dead brown stalks on a 
 winter day one may still see the inflated calyces and sticky patches on 
 the stems. 
 
 156
 
 BLADDER CAMPION 
 
 Silene cucubalus Wibel 
 
 June - August It came over from Europe — the bladder campion — and 
 Roadsides seeded itself abundantly along the roadsides. There, in 
 
 Illinois as in England, the campion late in the after- 
 noon opens its five, deeply cleft petals above the inflated calyx, and blooms 
 in the twilight. Around them hum pale night moths which, in their noc- 
 turnal flittings, very likely transfer pollen from flower to flower. 
 
 By morning the shining white flowers have turned pale pink and are 
 drooped. The inflated bladder calyx becomes an even more inflated 
 bladder seed-pod and distinguishes this campion from others in the 
 family. 
 
 It is a plant which hastily appears in newly opened land. When a 
 lane is put through a woodland, one of the first plants to spring up is the 
 bladder campion. Perhaps it comes as seeds in hay, or they were stuck 
 in mud on wheels — somehow the campion gets there. While it stays along 
 the roads it is not an objectionable weed, but it may cause some difficul- 
 ties in crop fields, especially the grains, where its seeds need to be sifted 
 from the edible grains before they can be milled. 
 
 The bladder campion blooms all summer long. The stems are thin 
 and pale, the leaves ojjposite and tapered, dark green and finely downy 
 or fine-hairy. The five-parted flowers with ])r()tru(ling stamens and pistil 
 grow in loose clusters at the tips of the stems and new buds often con- 
 tinue to appear from the axils of the leaves. 
 
 .57
 
 June 
 
 Roadsides, woods, 
 ditches 
 
 TALL MEADOW-RUE 
 
 Thalictcum revolutum Muhl. 
 
 Meadow-rue is a wind-i)ollinato(l plant whose tall 
 .^teiiis li.old their llull'v ))luines of cream-white 
 (lower.- liiuh al)Ove most other ve^etatiou in the 
 tall uiowth of iiiid-.hine. '{'he tlower stems fjrow 
 from a rounded mass oT dark ^reen leallets which look inueh like a coarse 
 maideidiair IVin ; the leaves are almost as heautit'ul as llowers. Then in 
 late May troui this tul't of leaves there p-ow tall. lii)rous, leafy .«tems 
 which often reach .1 hei<iht of live or six feet if the surronnding vegeta- 
 tion is tall, and here, on a line day in dune, the small huds open. 
 There are hoth staminat<' and justillate llowers. the former the llulfier and 
 more delicate, with dan,<rlin<: white stamens. They prodmv great (pian- 
 tities of ])ollen which is hlown hy the wind to other meadow-nie plants 
 to make svv*\ formation possihle. 
 
 Meadow-rue gi'ows in deep wooils as well as in 
 where the sun comes in and the winds hlow freely across the pollen-laden 
 llowers. Sometimes meadow-rue is found in the shadowy oak woods 
 wlK're dune leaves make heavy shade; .sometimes it is found along <\ 
 road whose ditch is moist and the roots of the plant are plentifully fed 
 with moisture. But most often, jn'rhaps, meadow-rue is found in an open, 
 woodsy place, not too shady, not too dry, not too wet. where sweet william 
 hlooms in spring and the hrown thrasher nests in a neai'hy thorn hush 
 when .Tune is on the land. 
 
 The eai'ly mead;)w-rue (Tholirfnin} dinicuni) is a smaller plant 
 which is not more than two feet tall. It has more delicate foliage than 
 
 )lue-grass glade.s 
 
 the ahove species and is to he found on wooded hillside 
 month earlier than the taller sjiecies. 
 
 It flowers a 
 
 158
 
 WHITE SWEET CLOVER (^Melilot) 
 
 Melilotus alba Desr. 
 
 June - July June is the froth of white and yellow sweet clover, 
 
 Fields, roadsides the tall and bushy melilot along the country roadsides 
 
 and in the broad and sunny fields. Melilot is fra- 
 grant from the moment the leaves grow in spring to the time, well past 
 its bloom, when the old stalks stand drying in the sun. And the clover 
 hay in the barn is sweet with the memories of June. 
 
 June is a clover field — June is all the creatures which live or find 
 their living in and under and over a clover field. It is the dickcissel clack- 
 ing all day from a melilot head, and swooping to the nest of pale blue eggs 
 hidden on the gTound among clover plants. It is the meadowlark nesting 
 at the edge of the field ; it is bol)-whites finding insects there, and the gTey 
 spermophile which comes streaking in a streamlined journey between cars, 
 across the highway nnd into the shelter and anonymity of the clover. 
 
 June is a clover field, and it is the perfume and character of clover, 
 and the long roots which the ])lants send into the soil. It is the silent, 
 unseen activity of the microscopic bacteria on clover roots, at work in the 
 soil to make nitrogen to enrich the land. 
 
 For the June clovci- field is not all beauty. It is a vast chemical 
 laboratory. It is a cr()[) wliich does not tear down the soil nor deplete it 
 of its nutrients. Instead, the clover continually adds the beneficial nitro- 
 gen which will feed the crops that follow clover in a wisely rotated pro- 
 gram. Nitrogen is |)art of all living tissue, and i1 is the le<:innes which, 
 of all known plants or animals, are able to produce it hy means of the 
 partnership of nitrogen-fixing bacteria on the I'oots. 
 
 159
 
 WHITE CLOVER 
 
 Trifolium repens L. 
 
 May - July 
 Lawns, fields 
 
 Over the landscape, meeting the sky, the clover fields are 
 
 ill hlooni. 'Vhv acres of red clover are covered with a 
 
 rich, dusty rose color that is set off hy the emerald of 
 
 the nearhy wheat and the fluff of wild carrot along the road: and the 
 
 perfume of the rod clover fields is a tangihle thing, splendid to hrcathc. 
 
 delightful to ta^ste. 
 
 The fields of altalla are ])urple and silver. Their scent is sweet and 
 the huttcrflies know ii. They hover all day over the slender sprays of 
 l)urj)le flowers, and the liees are thei-e with a nuirnuiring that is so much 
 a part of a clover field that one no longer is conscious that the sound is 
 there, hut would feel the lack if it stoj)ped. And if tlie hees stopped and 
 went away, the clover would not set its seed. 
 
 The white clover on the lawns of lity and village are full of round, 
 sweet-scented heads l)elove(l of honey hees and ehildivn. 'i'he children. 
 as they have done for centuries. j)crhaps as long as children and ilover 
 have livo<l as neighlxu-s. ])iek the wiry stems and hraid them into wreaths 
 and hracelets, make chains and baskets and ornaments which quickly 
 wilt hut retain their sweetness. 
 
 The white clover is an old, old plant, as reckoned in terms of culti- 
 vation under the hand of man. It is believed to gi'ow wild in all conn- 
 tries of the world: for several thousand years certain dovei-s have been 
 grown by man. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is one of the olde.«t of cultivated 
 l>lants. Ked clover (I'rifoliuw invfrnsc) grown for a shorter time his- 
 torically, but known longer than alfalfa in the New World, came from 
 Flanders to England in KiTfi and later canu^ to America. Xow under a 
 shining sky and warm sun. the pink and i)urple and yellow and white 
 fiebls send a lich and incomiiarable perfume into the air. 
 
 160
 
 PRAIRIE CLOVER 
 
 Petalostemum purpureum (Vent.) Rydb. 
 
 June - July Across the prairies long ago, the summer was a time 
 
 Prairie roadsides of man}' flowers, a time of blossom-brilliance and 
 
 color. Prairie soil supported a large population of 
 plants which were dependent for growth and life on its peculiar quality. 
 This was deep and black, densely matted with roots; somehow the seeds 
 of prairie plants penetrated this soil and gi'ew. Many of them vanished 
 when cultivation broke the sod and put com and soybeans in place of 
 gTasses and flowers. Some managed to linger only where that prairie sod 
 was unbroken. This gradually has naiTowed itself to stretches between 
 railroads and highways and in old cemeteries, and certain rolling land 
 too steep for fields or inadequate for pasture. 
 
 It is in places such as these that the delicate wands of prairie clover 
 still are found here and there today. From June until August the rose- 
 purple fingers of prairie clover blossoms wave in the winds and attract 
 the bees. 
 
 Prairie clover is in the Pea family with the other clovers, but is not 
 constnicted in the manner of the conmion red or white clovers. The 
 flower is only indistinctly like the butterfly-hooded flower of a clover. In 
 Petalostemum the petals are all on thread-shaped claws, four of them 
 nearly alike and spreading, borne on the top of the stamen filaments, 
 alternate Avith the five authors. The fifth petal is inserted in the boitom 
 of the calyx and is heart-shaped. The flowers are tiny and are massed in 
 long fingers of flower spikes at the tip and sides of a long, tougli, wiry, 
 grey-green stem with tiny, narrow, compound leaves. The entire plant 
 lacks any suggestion of weodiness. It is clean-limbed and fine, reminis- 
 cent of the beauty of the old prairie when flowers for miles covered the 
 ^assy sod. 
 
 161
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 GLADE MALLOW 
 Napaea dioica L. 
 
 June A iiympli of tlic frlades, said the botanist who 
 
 Along railroads and nniiuHl tliis rare mallow Xapaea. because in Greek 
 
 in woods (hat is literally what the name means. The glade 
 
 mallow, however, does not always live in the 
 sandy woodland glades and hollows, as it may in some other part^ of the 
 country. In north-central Illinois it has been iVnind inhabitating the wide- 
 ui)en country along ci-rtain railroad tracks. 
 
 Glade mallow is a tall, rough ish plant with very large leaves and 
 very small flowers. 'V\\\> is a reversjil of the connnon mallow procedure 
 whieli usually features large ilowers to which the leaves are somewhat 
 suboidinated. Kut in Xa])aea. the leaves come to the fore and are more 
 handsome, ]>erbaps. than the blossoms themselves. The leaves are broad 
 and deeply loothed and lobed. much in the manner of a silver maple leaf. 
 The Ilowers a|)pear in spreading ilu>teis at the ends of the stems, and 
 are small, five-pe tailed, white, a tew Jlowi'rs among a great many buds 
 in various stages of developnuMit. 
 
 In spite of the Tact tbat glade mallow often grows along railroad 
 tracks, it is almost as well loiuealed in these haunts as it would be in 
 some forest glade. Few ))eople pause to examine the population of plants 
 growing in the cindeiy ballast or the old ])rairie soil along the tracks. 
 Perhaps if more such localities were explored for lloweis. tlio glade 
 inallow might not be listed as one of the rarest plants in Illinois. 
 
 102
 
 UPRIGHT BINDWEED 
 
 Convolvulus spithameus L. 
 
 May - June The morning glories and bindweeds belong to 
 
 Sunny, sandy roadsides a family which is largely tropical ; this is true 
 
 of most creeping and climl)ing plants, few of 
 which are of northern origin. But the upright bindweed is a morning 
 gloi-y which no longer climbs; it is an upright plant, seldom more than 
 a foot tall and usually less, with a few leaves and a flower or two which 
 seem to be all out of proportion to the size of the plant. 
 
 It is a pinkish-white morning glory, with all the crisp freshness of 
 that ephemeral tribe as it opens in the early sunshine of a June morning. 
 The two-parted calyx clasps the tubular base of the widespread, bell- 
 shaped flower. It is the sort of l)lossom to Ijelong on a lush vine festooned 
 over a fence or tangling itself over a spice bush in the river bottoms. It 
 seems oddly incomplete to be found upon that low little plant. 
 
 The leaves are long, narrow, heart-shaped, prominently veined, set 
 alternately on the downy stem. There on sandy banks or in rocky soil 
 along a road in northern Illinois, this surprising little plant — still main- 
 taining its Latin name of Convolvulus, wbich means "to entwine" — 
 opens its large flowers on its small plants from late May until August. 
 
 The American bindweed {Cotivolvulus aincricunus) is a long vine 
 "which is common on fences^ etc. The flowers resemble those of upright 
 bindweed, above. 
 
 163
 
 SELF-HEAL i Hcal-All ) 
 
 Prunella vulgaris L. 
 
 June - August S(>lf-hoal onginally lived in Kuro])e. Before 
 
 Lawns, roadsides, woods the airival of ('oliniil)n.'; ami the following 
 
 hoidt's of Euroi>oans who eanie to the .chores 
 of North America and traveled inland, there was no self-heal in all the 
 Xew World. And now, say the hotany manuals. .<;elf-heal is found in 
 woods and fields from Newfoundland to Florida and westward across the 
 continent. It is found in <:anl('ns and in lawns ami. just as olheiently, it 
 grows along the Shenandoah Skyline high in the Appalachian moun- 
 tains, in Salt l^ake City, Utah, in a Xew Orleans cemeteiT, or high on 
 the ten thousand foot elevation of TJrand Mesa in Colorado. It varies 
 its form somewhat. dcixMuling u|)on its hal)itat. It may he smaller and 
 more compact, with more deejjly colored flowers, or nuiy grow taller and 
 paler. But wherever it grows, the self-heal nmltii)lies and eontinues its 
 ooast-to-coast trek across a continent. 
 
 It is at no time a diiruult weed. It d(^)es not rout grass from a lawn 
 nor flowers from a garden. Kather, it insinuates itself among other vege- 
 tation as part of it, and there it i.s from late ^lay until frost, as an inte- 
 grated ])in'i of our native flora. 
 
 Long ago in l\uroi>e. self-heal was often ealled heal-all or all-heal, 
 and was ])elieved to \)o the one remedy for every ailment. It was n.<=ed 
 extensively in early medieine, es]iecially for treating quin.«y and croup. 
 
 Self-heal has oval, tapering, light green leaves aiTanged on a squarish 
 stem. The flowers are jn'oduced in a square, many-sealed head. The 
 flowers arc lavender-purple ahove and white below. The plant is not more 
 than eight to ten inches high, and in certain situations lies close to the 
 ground. 
 
 164
 
 MOTHERWORT 
 
 Leonurus cardiaca L. 
 
 June - July Long after the old farm house and the. barns 
 
 Waste places, farms, and outbuildings disappear, the evidences of 
 
 woods man's presence remain to tell of the past. The 
 
 lilac bush beside the old stone slab which was 
 a doorstep is still there. The star-of-bethlehem bulbs send up bright 
 green leaves and white flowers every spring. And certain weeds come up 
 every year in the enriched soil of the old barnyard. Tliere are mayweed 
 and jimsoii weed and tansy, and the rough spikes of motherwort or 
 lion's tail. 
 
 Lion's tail is a more appropriate name, perhaps, than the uncertain 
 motherwort, chiefly because the Latin name of Leonunis literally means 
 lion's tail. The motherwort is an Old AVorld plant which traveled in the 
 devious numner of so many European weeds from their home base to 
 a new land. Although it is known as a somewhat unpleasant weed because 
 of the skin irritation which contact with its leaves and stems may cause 
 in some people, the motherwort has a degree of beauty which is imme- 
 diately noticeable. 
 
 Here are the ridged^ four-angled stems, many-branched and all in 
 bloom. The flowers are aiTanged in tight, spiny clusters around the stem, 
 actually in the axils of the leaves but appearing in a wreath around the 
 stem from top to near the base of the plant. The flowers are small but 
 clear pink, white, or lavender, or a mixture of all three. The fuzzy little 
 flowers are constructed in the typical Mint family manner. 
 
 The leaves are o])])osite on the stem, but each pair is set alternately 
 with the pair above and below so that all get the sun and the spreading 
 leaves make a four-sided formation when viewed from above. 
 
 165
 
 ELDERBERRY 
 
 Sambucus canadensis L. 
 
 June - July 'I'licy called it Sdinhiuiis^ loii<,r auo, l)Ocau?c that was 
 
 Roadside ditches the Latin naine for a musical instrunicnt, and it was 
 
 kiidwu that the stout, pithy stems of elder could be 
 hollowed and made into a ludi^ ilute. And Siiiiihiicii.^. the elderberiy, 
 retains that name to this day. 
 
 The pith-iilled steins are luiitle and fast-growing. Quickly, in spring, 
 the old wood s])routs its leaf huds and stem buds and soon the elderberry 
 ])ush is covered with compound, graceful, bright green leaves. Then in 
 early June, when schools over the Illinois countryside are letting out for 
 the summer, the elderheny (lowers bloom. Heri' are broad, fragrant, 
 creamy panicles of small llouci-s with protiiiding stamens in each quarter- 
 inch blossom in the cluster. IJees come, and hutterllies and other insect^s, 
 for the fragrance of the elder llowers is sti'ong and carries a distance 
 jiway from the hush. Tt is at this stage that some connoisseurs gather the 
 lieads of flowers, soak tlicm in brandy and sugar foi- an hour, dip them 
 in batter, and fry (piiikly in hot fat — elder llower fi-itters of utmost 
 delicacy and flavor. 
 
 In late sunnner and autunni the creamy ])anicles of bloom are re- 
 placed by heavy, drooping clusters of dark )>urplish-red-black berries 
 which are devoured eagerly by migrant robins and cedar waxwings, late 
 catbirds and thrashers and other fruit-eating birds. Now others gather 
 the fruits — -peo{)le who make wine of them, or jelly, or pie. The elder- 
 berry t-angles are pop\dar places in autunni both for birds and people. 
 The seedy, rather llat-tasting berries become more flavorful with the 
 spark of lemon juice or a little vinegar, and nnich sugar, in making a 
 pie, or by added pectin or pectin-fdled fruit in the process of jelly- 
 making. 
 
 IGG
 
 
 
 T 
 
 -. T^ 1,^^ \ .'L. 11 
 
 
 ■ If r 
 
 WILD CARROT (Queen Anne's Lace) 
 Daucus carota L. 
 
 June - August It is June and a meadowlark sings in the wheat. On 
 Roadsides, fields bowed wings he flits with a harsh sputtering and a 
 
 flashing of white tail feathers to a fencepost across 
 the field. Into the sunshine he thrusts his golden bosom with its great 
 black A^ inked into it, so that he glints in his pride as he sings over and 
 over again. Beneath him along the fence row are the flat rosettes of 
 snowy Queen Anne's lace or wild carrot, emblem of June. It has delicate 
 clusters of tiny ofl-center flowers with a single maroon floweret uniquely 
 set in the center of the cluster. Meadowlarks and Queen Anne's lace — 
 these are part of June. 
 
 Wild carrot is a weed brought over from Europe. It is a pest when 
 it gets into crop fields, and is then vigorously called devil's weed by 
 farmers who find it difficult to eradicate. Old fields which lie fallow for 
 a year or so may grow up in wild carrot until the landscape is white. 
 Along roadsides and in waste places, the carrot is no longer a pest but 
 is one of the most ornamental fiowers of the summer. 
 
 The plants range in height from one to four feet with hairy stems 
 which grow from a deep carrot root. The leaves are fern-like and deeply 
 cut, and the flower heads are often four inches wide, composed of many 
 thin spokes which terminate in a small cluster of flowers. The entire 
 group makes a broad, lacy, intricate umbel. AVhen the seeds begin to form, 
 the thin flower stems in the umbel cun'e toward the center so that the 
 seed-head resembles a ])ird's nest. During the summer the carrot plants 
 have flowers and seed-heads in all stages of development, until they are 
 ended by the coming of heavy frost. 
 
 167
 
 FIELD MILKWORT 
 
 Polygala sanguinea L. 
 
 July - August This member of tlie very diversified Milkwort 
 
 Upland fields, open hills family is. in the manner of most of its mem- 
 bers, unlike most of the group. It is a slender 
 little plant with somethinfr of the appearance of a spring llower, but it 
 blooms in midsununci- in diy, clay soil, usually on dry ujjlands in com- 
 pany with p(>v(Mty grass, ironwei'd, and spiny pufThalls. 
 
 Field milkwort has thin, angled. i)ale green stems which branch in 
 the upper part of the ])lant; on the tip of each branch there is a clover- 
 like head of fiowers. The flowers themselves are tiny, and are closely over- 
 lapped, arranged like the scales of a pine cone, but are ojien at the top 
 of the llower head. The flowers are bright rose-purple below and grow 
 paler toward the top of the flower, where they are i)ale green or almost 
 white. The leaves are narrow and still", arranged alternately on the thin 
 stems. Before the flowers bloom the i)lants arc so inconsjjicuous that they 
 are almost invisible in the wilderness of gra.-s. But when July comes and 
 the uplands bake in the sunshine, the flowers of milkwort bloom, and 
 at a distivnce the slojie is purple with their small magnificence. 
 
 There on the upland the field sparrow sings in the hot sunnner sun- 
 shine. The meadow mice continue to cut new runways through the sparse 
 grass and arch the runways with grassblades to keep them from the all- 
 seeing eye of the hovering hawk. And around the stems of the milkworts 
 the brown mice run. and tliriftily garner the milkwort seeds when they 
 drop to the ground. 
 
 ir,8
 
 PERUVIAN DAISY 
 
 Galinsoga ciliata (Raf. ) Blake 
 
 June - September Somehow, in some way, a long time ago, a little 
 
 Gardens, waste places annual plant named Peruvian daisy came from 
 
 Chile to the eastern half of the United States. 
 It is a small and insio-nifieant plant to have traveled so far, and it prob- 
 ably is unknown exactly how it came. It is believed, however, to have come 
 from Chile to Europe, and thence to the United States. 
 
 There it is, the little Peruvian daisy with its tiny white flowers, 
 growing as a low weed in waste places and gardens and along ponds. The 
 plant is weak and densely hairy, with many-branched stems and pairs 
 of rough, toothed, three-nerved leaves. At the tops of the stems are groups 
 of small Composite flowers — five tiny white three-toothed, petal-like rays 
 around a tight yellow center. 
 
 There it is, in dooryards and along weedy roads and in city dumps, 
 an inconspicuous little white-flowered Composite. But it is still a creature 
 of minor mystery. The question of its journeys is still unanswered : when 
 and how did Galinsoga, named for an eminent Spanish botanist, find 
 its way from its original home in Chile or Peru, to Euroi)ean waysides, 
 and then back to the New World, for miles north of its old haunt? 
 
 Still another story in the ])ast few yeai's has been added to lore of 
 Galinsoga. After the bombing of T.iondon (hiring World War II, several 
 plants appeared in great numbers in bombed-out ruins and burned areas. 
 One was a fireweed, and another was Galinsoga. Someone was curious 
 about where this little plant had come from in such sudden abundance, 
 and what its name might be. The word "Galinsoga^' wa.^ colloquialized 
 into "Gallant Soldiers", and today in England it still retains that war- 
 boni name in memory of other gallant soldiers in the Battle of Britain. 
 
 1(19
 
 HORSE-GENTIAN ( Fcvcrwort) 
 
 Triosteum perfoliatum L. 
 
 June 
 
 Hilly, open woods 
 pastures 
 
 Tt is a strange ]il;iiit. 'I'liosteum, the horse-gen- 
 tian. In the same laniily as the honeysuckles, the 
 twinllower, tlie Vihiirnunis, and the elderheriy, 
 it seems to liave tiu' charaetoristics of none of 
 these kill. Instead, the hor.«!e-gentian grows in gorgeous solitude in the 
 diy upland pasture or the dry \\(>;)i! lot, and produces a tall, stout stalk 
 wit1\ long, l)roa(l. tapi red k-avcs flas|)ing llic downy stem. In the axils 
 of tiiese oddly shajx'd leaves are clusters oC long sepals enclosing the dark 
 maroon, tuhular llowers with their ))rotruding, greenish pistils and the 
 shorter stamens. The tlowers are an inu-onnuon color among llowers, and 
 last but a short time in ]\ray and .lune. 
 
 "When the llowers fall away, the long, leaf-like calyx segments remain 
 in star-shajied formation around the stem, and by late summer when the 
 ])asture is dry and tlie woods are crackly with dry lieat, the horse-gentian 
 shows bright red-orange fruits in the axils of the leaves. The fruits are 
 brilliant and att lact ive, but fall away too soon for them to be used 
 ornamentally. 
 
 The berries are often called wild coffee. More than a hundred yeai-s 
 airo in IVnnsvlvania -and no doubt elsewhere, wherever the Triosteum 
 grows — the dried and toasted fruits of "wild coffee" were used by some 
 of the Pennsylvania (Jcrmans as an acceptable substitute for that bev- 
 erage. The name has persisted to this day. 
 
 1:0
 
 BUTTER-AND-EGGS (Wild Snapdragon. Toadflax) 
 
 Linaria vulgaris Hill 
 
 June - October Comparatively few of the native summer flowers of 
 Roadsides, sands America will bloom along roads and in vacant lots, 
 
 in waste places and dumps and edges of fields. It is, 
 oddly enough, the plants brought over accidentally from Europe and 
 Asia which are the flowers known most familiarly as sunnner blossoms 
 around towns and habitations. Among them is butter-and-eggs, Linaria, 
 the wild yellow toadflax. 
 
 It might just as well ])e a uative flower : it is elegant enough to 
 belong among American flora. It is closely related to snapdragons and 
 plainly shows the family resemblance in the complicated flower with its 
 snap-shut mouth. The butter and eggs flower is constructed so that no 
 insect may get inside unless it is heavy enough and strong enough to 
 force open the flower. The weight of a bee on the bright, orange-yellow 
 padded lip will force it open. The bee dives hoad-first insido to get the 
 nectar which has been kept safe from rain and marauding insects, and 
 at the same time the bee with its hind feet holds o\h'u tbc lip of the 
 flower. 
 
 The flower is pale yellow, the lip l)right orange — color and shape so 
 much like that of an egg yolk that the connnon name of butter-and-eggs 
 long ago was given to it. Ernest Thompson Seton, the naturalist, tells a 
 story of a little yellow dragon which died when a fried egg — always death 
 to dragons — became stuck in its throat, and he was transformed into the 
 butter-and-eggs plant. 
 
 The leaves and stem of this ])lant are smooth and thin. ])ale grey- 
 green. It grows in waste places and sandy soil over much of the eastern 
 part of the continent and is commonly found in Illinois. 
 
 171
 
 GREAT MULLEIN 
 
 Verbascum thapsus L. 
 
 July - August Tlu' ,i,n-oat inulliMn is to tlie plains and middle- 
 
 Pastures, uplands western hills what the saguaro cactus is to the des- 
 ert — a massive accent upon the landscape, an ex- 
 clainaiion mark against the sky. The mullein does not approach the 
 siihstance or ijraiKlcur of the sa-aiaro, l)ut somehow, in the less dramatic 
 land of the Illinois country, it serves miuli the same purpose of accent. 
 
 The mullein begins it^ year with a broad rosette of leaves which 
 remain against the frozen ground all winter long. The leaves are unicpie 
 among our ])lants — very lliick. furry, silvery, blue-grey-green, matted 
 with fibers which, uikIci- ;i iiii( roscopc, a])])ear as violently thorny as any 
 cactus spikes. The mullein rosette is one of the most striking, self-con- 
 tained objects to find on a winter's day. 
 
 In spring the stalk I'-egins to rise from the middle of the rosette 
 and bears snuiller, furry, gicy-green leaves alternately upon its angled, 
 ridged surface. The stem may grow four feet tall or more before it 
 develops a flower spike. 'I'hen tlie stalk produces do/.ens of matted, closely 
 set, furry buds from which yellow, ilve-])arted ilowers open for a while, 
 then fall away as more open through the suuuner. The mullein flower 
 stalk always ha-s a rather tattered, unfinished, worn look, as the flowers 
 open here and there upon it without any apparent pattern or plan. 
 
 With frosts, the mullein stalks stand bereft of leaves, but the stems 
 are stiff and sturdy, the flower stalks solid, and there the mullein stands 
 silhouetted against the autumn sky. The outline of the mullein now 
 seems much like that angular saguaro which stands stark and dramatic 
 against a desert background. 
 
 172
 
 MOTH MULLEIN 
 
 V etbascum blattaria L. 
 
 June - July The mulleins came over from Europe and gi'ew 
 
 Uplands, pastures readily in the American landscape. They are orna- 
 mental, but even though some of their clan have, 
 been civilized to the extent that they appear in nursery and seed catalogs 
 and are planted in some of the best gardens, wild mulleins inevitably 
 seem to be known as weeds. 
 
 A moth mullein in an u])land pasture may be as interesting as a 
 moth mullein in a garden, and it has the added advantage of being in 
 its chosen haunt. The slim wand-like stems on which the moth mullein 
 flowers are arranged bend in the upland Avind but do not break; they 
 have that quality of resilience which open country plants must have or 
 suffer ruin. The leaves are dark gi-een, deeply cut. alternate. The flowers 
 take over the upper half of the stem and stand out from it, each on its 
 own little stem well away from its neighbor. The buds are neatly divided 
 in five parts with the five sepals makiiig a star around the enclosed petals. 
 The flower opens broadly with five rounded petals and a center whose 
 stamens are thickly furred with long purple-red hairs. Thei'e are two 
 kinds of wild moth nuilleins, the yellow and the white, and the two sel- 
 dom are found in the same fields. Both are fertilized ])y small moths 
 which come in the twilight to seek the pale flowers of moth mullein, 
 and sometimes the moths themselves are found asleep in the cupped 
 flowers when the sun comes up next morm'ng. 
 
 Moth mullein is a summer flower which blooms at its ])est in June, 
 then sends up new flower stems later in the summer for a burst of sec- 
 ondary bloom. The dried stems and seed pods remain in the pastures 
 and roadsides all winter long. 
 
 173
 
 HEDGE NETTLE 
 
 Stachys tenuifolia Willd. 
 
 June - July 111 lldwcis (i| ihc .Mini Inmily. insoi-ts nro needed to pol- 
 Moist fields liiijitf them and insure a good crop of seeds. The stnicture 
 of the llower. however, is such tlmt a hee would have a 
 difVicult time eulerini:' the tuhe of the l)h>ssoiii without the assistaui-e of 
 the broad lip which i> a Iniidiiii:- ]ilair. hi the hedge nettle the lower lip 
 ha.s become a broad, colorful stopping place. At the same time, this 
 elongation makes the woundwort one of the most attractive of tlie mint 
 llowers. 
 
 The i)lant has glossy green leaves which are opjxisite on the .^(|uare, 
 ridged stem. The IIowcm's are arranged in a series of whorls around the 
 upper ])art of the stem, with a pair of small l(>aves in each whorl. The 
 calyx is bristly, but not ])rickly as in the motherwort. The llowers are a 
 bright, soft pink with tiny red speekles in the throat. The broad lower 
 li|) is the juncture of the three lower petals, while the arihed. hooded 
 u|)|)er ])art of the ilower is made of what once may have been the other 
 two |ietals. Thus the hedge nettle ajipears to have oidy two petals, but 
 nevertheless is a mint. .Mints are traditionally known to have five corolla 
 divisions even though, as in this case, they nuiy be fused as two or three. 
 
 Hedge nettli^ grows today in low. wet plac(>s in sun or .<hade. along 
 railroad tiacks and roadside ditches, during most of the sununer. One 
 variety of hedge nettle long ago in Europe was given the name wound- 
 wort because its powdered leaves often were used in surgical dressings, 
 to Viind u]i wounds. 
 
 174
 
 WOOD SAGE (American Germander) 
 Teucrium canadense L. 
 
 June - July 
 Along railroads, in 
 moist fields. Woods 
 
 AVood sage is a member of the Mint family, or 
 l^abiatae, meaning the Lipped Ones. Most mem- 
 bers of the family, a veiy large one and very 
 diverse in form, yet always umiiistakably mints, 
 have a four-sided, squarish stem. Their leaves are opposite, the flowers 
 intricately constructed with a tube and a flaring lip. Usually there are 
 five parts to the corolla, with two parts above and three below, but varied 
 by innumerable plans of fluting, laciness, or color. The stamens are in- 
 serted on the tul)e of the corolla, and the pistil usually curves with the 
 curve of the tube, arches under the two upper corolla parts, and protrudes 
 with a double lobe at the end. This neatly comes in contact with pollen 
 on the fuzzy back of a small bee or other insect ^\'hich has gone into 
 another mint flower for nectar and has had pollen brushed upon its 
 back. The insect enters head first, eager for the nectar at the bottom of 
 the tube. The pistil is encountered first; this removes pollen from the 
 bee's back. The insect pushes further in and gets its nectar, and in 
 backing out comes in contact with the low-hung stamens full of pollen. 
 This is carried to another flower. 
 
 Wood sage has the characteristics of the family — a tall, stiff, gi'eyish, 
 four-angled stem, and a degi'ee of aromatic quality, but not as much as 
 some other mints. The leaves are thick, finely toothed, opposite, and the 
 stem terminates in a long, tapering wand of pale lavender-pink flowers 
 whose throats have deeper pink or red speckles and guide lines. The 
 buds further up the spire are arranged systematically, like a pagoda. The 
 flowers begin to bloom from below, but the entire stalk seldom is in bloom 
 all at once. AVood sage grows in woods and lowlands and blooms abun- 
 dantly most of the summer. 
 
 175
 
 FOG-FRUIT 
 
 Phyla lanceolata (Michx.) Greene 
 
 June - August 'V\\v iii;ir,L:in of the |ioii(l has its own peculiar 
 
 Along ponds, damp pliiiit life which lirows ;mion<2: the <rrasses bending 
 
 places over tlic water. There is Eelipta and there are 
 
 cahmuis hcds, and a few cattails, perhaps some 
 swaiiip milkweed. And tlicic. low and almost iuvisihlc hut very much in 
 evidence from a frog-'.s eye view is the little fog-fruit. It is related to the 
 vcrhenas and if its llowcr head \ven> enlarged a lew (liametei"s it might 
 be adnured a> a most handsome wild llowcr. 
 
 r>ut instead it has several pairs of rather coarse leaves like vervain 
 leave.«, and slender stems topped wiih miniaiin'e l)ou(|uets of flowers. The 
 blossoms are tiny and pinkish w hite or an- entirely white, arranged neatly 
 around a purplish, cone-like ceider. Many a child has gathered the liny 
 han(l-bou(piets of the fog-fi'uit to nuike cor.sages or doll-house table deco- 
 ration.s of them. They are miniatur(\s wliieh are not very noticeable when 
 viewed from the snpeiior height of an adult walking through the pond- 
 side gra.ss. 
 
 But down at tlii'ii- own level they have a degree of small beauty 
 which lie.s in that certain perfection of a succe.'s.'^ful plant in its chosen 
 habitat, and the interest which large mortals find in looking at some- 
 thing snudl and perfect and complete. 
 
 176
 
 HOARY VERVAIN 
 
 Verbena stticta Vent. 
 
 June - August There are only a few wild verbenas in America as 
 
 Upland pastures compared with the numbers of the family in the 
 
 tropics where most of them are found. Of the ver- 
 benas east of the Eockies, it is the vervains which predominate as well- 
 established weeds. 
 
 Of them all, perhaps the hoary vervain is most beautiful. Its flowers 
 are bright blue-purple, five-parted and tubular, much like the individual 
 flowers of the garden verbena, except that in the vervain they are arranged 
 in stiff spikes at the top of the plant. The flowers begin to bloom from 
 the lower end of the spikes and continue to bloom for numy days until 
 they have reached the to]). The leaves are thick, downy-hairy, toothed, 
 grey-gi'een, and the plants are tall, stiff, and well fitted to withstand 
 the hot sunshine of the upland pastures and dry, weedy liills wlicrc they 
 are most frecpiently found. 
 
 The vervains in Illinois are varied. "White vei'vain (Verbena iirti- 
 cifolia) is a fine-hairy plant which often reaches a height of five feet 
 or more in moist places. The leaves are coarsely toothed, dark green, and 
 hairy. The flowers are tiny, white, and are produced on loose, spreading 
 spikes. In sandy ground is found the narrow-leaved vervain (Yerhena 
 mmplex). Blue ven'ain {Yerhena hastdia) is commou in wet places 
 with swamp milkweeds and tickseed sunflowers. The flowers are bright 
 purple and the plant is slender and much branched above. 
 
 177
 
 July - August 
 
 Damp places, roadsides 
 
 COMMON MILKWEED 
 
 Asclepias syriaca L. 
 
 The tall. >|ilfii(ii(l milkwivd plant alonjr the 
 wct'dy road is one of the most remarkable 
 jilaiits to ho found at any season. It is ex- 
 tremely comj)li(ate(l in its nower nieehanisnu hears a milky juice which 
 is akin to caoutchouc (the sap of the ruhher tre<>). has silk-tufted .seed.s 
 who.se fluff.s have heen used instead of kapok, is edihlt^ as a y»)un<r plant 
 hut poisonous to cattle when the jjlants mature. 
 
 I'lie milkweed stalk ^lows early in sprin«i" fi'om a deep, jieronnial 
 tap root. The youn^ sh(Kits are .soft and downy, full of that tyi)ical milky 
 juice which tiow.s from any rut on the plant, in .hine there apjM^ar ti^rht 
 clusters of anirlod. rouiul huds arran,ir(>d in a nu)saic so that each hud 
 jret.s sunshine. Thi\v hur.^t, and now therc is a wonderfid globe of per- 
 fumed, intricate blossoms. The ilower is composed of five nect<ir hoi'us 
 with a keyhole-like niche l)etwi'en, and five recuned .>;e])als. When a lly or 
 bee comes for nectar, it cannot uc't a foothold on the lightly jioised Ilower, 
 .so almost invariably its foot slips into the niche between the honey 
 horn.?. This holds the insect firndy while it sips nectar and at the same 
 time, in its struggles to free it.self, scra])es off pollen .>;acs obtained from 
 a Ilower previously visited. T's\ially the insect is ai)le to free itself by 
 pulling its foot upward and out. and Hies off with new pollinia to cany 
 to the next flower. Often, though, the in.sect is trapped and hangs there 
 dead. 
 
 Although there iire dozens of ihnvers in the cluster, only two or three 
 are properly pollinated and these form the laige downy ])<k1s full of silk- 
 plumed seeds. The pods open in autumn, and the silk-{)arachuted seeds 
 float off to other places to ])lant more milkweeds for the coming year. 
 
 178
 
 SULLIVANT'S MILKWEED 
 
 Asclepias sullivantii Engelm. 
 
 July The wet prairie, descended from Pleistocene swamps 
 
 Prairie roadsides and lakes, basically contains water-gi'owing plants. 
 
 In the succession of plant species, as the shallow lake 
 filled with vegetation, there came the cattails, the sedges, the bur-reeds, 
 which made it a swamp. When the tall ])lumes of Spartina grass appeared, 
 this was the signpost indicating a change to wet prairie, and with it 
 came an entirely different group of plants. For miles, long ago. the wet 
 prairie with its waving Spartina, its bright prairie sunilowers and white 
 indigo spikes, extended across nuich of Illinois. As ])art of it. in this 
 peculiar association of plants, soil, and climate, were the stiff stalks of 
 Sullivant's milkweed. Today, as yesterday, it is as much an indication 
 of the wet prairie as the Spartina. 
 
 This is a stout, smooth iiiilkw(M'd wliicli is distinguished from the 
 common milkweed by having broad, l)lue-green leaves conspicuously 
 veined with ])ink. with a great, thick, ])ink midrib. 'I^he stalk is smooth, 
 })iiik and greeu-wbite. and bears the ilutcd leaves in stemless pairs along 
 it. At the summit are large, globulai- clusters of ty[iieal milkweed flowers, 
 but the individual blossoms are larger tban those ol conunon milkweed. 
 They have the ty])ical five horns and recurving sepals — the latter deep 
 rose, the former i)right pink. The intricate and prominent veining of this 
 milkweed, however, is one of its highlights ami one of its chief distinc- 
 tions. That, and the presence of the remnants of wet prairie. ])lacarded 
 by Spartina, where the splendid columns of Sullivnnt's milkweed are 
 found. 
 
 1:9
 
 POKE MILKWEED 
 
 Asclepias phytolaccoides Pursh 
 
 BLUNT-LEAVED 
 MILKWEED 
 
 Asclepias amplexicaulis Sm. 
 
 Summer Theiv arc throe milkweeds which are widely difFerent 
 
 Prairie roadsides, yet contain as (.haraeteristics the basic requirements 
 
 sands, woods dI" a niilkwoiMl — milky juice. o])j)c)site loaves, intricate 
 
 ilowers designed in such a nuunu'r that insects ol'ten 
 
 are trapped dnrinij the process of pollination. 
 
 Green milkweed {Acerates viridiflora) is a plant of the prairies and 
 dry soil. Although it is not as coloii'ul as some of the other milkweeds, its 
 tlelicate <:reen Ilowers nevertheless ari' decidedly ornanu-ntal. They lack 
 the liorn structure of other milkweeds. The thiwers are tightly held, green 
 and white l)l<>ssoiiis anaiigcd in a whoi'led chister in the axils of long, 
 narrow, veiny leaves. 
 
 Blunt-leaved milkweed {Asclepias aniijlcvicaulis) is a plant of the 
 sand country, a ])lant of utmost economy of leaf, flower, and fruit. The 
 short, pale stem seldom has \novr than three pairs of stendess. pale green, 
 ])ink-veined leaves. The lowest pair usually is nuu-h smaller, and all six 
 are lluted, thick, and largo. Above them stands the stiff stem tojjpod with 
 typical milkweed Ilowers held apart from each other in a sparse cluster. 
 The flowers are pale jtinkish-whiti' with green .«epals. Usually only one 
 or two largo seed pods result from the head of flowers. 
 
 Poke milkweed {A.'<clci>ias phytolaccoides) is a lanky, thin-leaved 
 plant of the deep woods. In midsununer its green and white and pale pink 
 ilowers are in bloom among the plants on a half sunny, half shady, dry 
 hillside in the oak woods. 
 
 180
 
 cow PARSNIP 
 
 Heracleum lanatum Michx. 
 
 July This, the king of the parsnips, is a regal plant. 
 
 Low places, roadsides Huge, stout, massive, the corded, hollow stems 
 
 support the great broad umbels of small, snowy 
 flowers. The leaves are among the largest found in our wild flowers, leaves 
 which are deeply cut, hairy, enormously maple-like on a grand scale. 
 The structural gi-andeur of the cow parsnip caused it to be dedicated to 
 the giant Hercules. There is Heracleum, flower of Hercules. 
 
 It grows in wet places. It needs moisture to nourish all those stout 
 Corinthian columns which are stems, all those splendid, classical, 
 acanthus-like leaves, that broad bouquet of tiny blossoms spread almost 
 a foot wide across the top of the flower stalk. 
 
 It is a widely distributed plant. According to Gray, it is found in 
 wet places from Newfoundland to the Pacific and northward to Xorth 
 Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas. That is indeed a broad range not fre- 
 quently repeated by many American plants. Fe^\• of them are scattered 
 from coast to coast in the numner of this massive plant of Hercules. 
 
 It comes in June, comes at a time when growth is lush and heat 
 grows stronger every day. Now is the weedy time, the time when the 
 small compactness of spring flowers is well past and only the big, the 
 strong, and the lusty sur\^ive in the battle for space and sunlight which 
 takes place in June. Sturdy and able to combat encroachment of other 
 plants, the cow parsnip stands regally alone. 
 
 181
 
 WILD PARSNIP 
 
 Pastinaca sativa L. 
 
 June - August A vcrv l()ii<r time ago in the jM'riod wlicn ]?()inaii ciil- 
 
 Roadsidcs. fields tuic was the most imiioitaut way of lii'o in the limited 
 
 scope of the woild of that time, there grew a bii-iniial 
 herb in the Italian fields and roadsides, 'llic IJomaii- knrw it as Pastinaca. 
 from pasfiis. whicli means food. And their name many eenturies later 
 inllueiieed formation of the word which we know as j)arsnip. The Latin 
 rastimim still is accepted in modcMMi hotany as the seientilic name for 
 our wild paiv-nip. .Vlthdiigh in the wild state the wild jjarsnip's thick tap 
 root was considered slightly poisonous, in cultivation it apparently lost 
 that attribute and became a prominent food in Kuropean countries. 
 I'ai'snips then, as they are now. were a winter vegetable which was not 
 considered really edible until altei- it had been frozen in the ground. The 
 usual way was to dig parsnijjs after frost, bury them in a heap of loose 
 leaves and earth, and dig in after them wh(Mi a dinner of ])arsni]is was 
 desired. They were one of the very few winter vegetables available to 
 people \(n\^ ago before jji'esen'ation of fresh smmner veget^ibles was 
 possible. 
 
 Somehow, as so many oth(>r luiroj)ean plants did. the wild parsnip 
 came to America. It <^:v\\ readily in S'cnv Wmid soil and by means of 
 its abundant seed production, it spread rapidly. 
 
 Today in mid-sununer the stately, aromatic, channeled, columnar 
 stem of the wild ])arsnip grows taller and taller into the sunnner sunshine. 
 The leaf-stems clasp the stalk; the stalk itself branches many times, and 
 the leaves are long, compound, bright green. At the tips of the stalks 
 are broad, flat uml)els of brassy-yellow flowers arranged rather beautifully 
 so that all the ilowers nrt^ sjiread to the sun. 
 
 182
 
 HORSE-NETTLE 
 
 Solanum carolinense L. 
 
 June - August When the plows and gardens of the east moved west- 
 Pastures ward — when the rutted wagon trails traveled deeper 
 and deeper into the sod and further and further into the 
 far west, certain plants and insects backtracked, following the pathway 
 of cultivation to the east. 
 
 One of these was the yellow-floweerd bufPalo-l)ur {Solanum ros- 
 tmtum) and another was the closely related white or lavender flowered 
 horse-nettle. With these came the potato beetles, and it is believed that 
 through the distribution of these plants this insect came into the fanns 
 and gardens of the eastern states which never had known them before. 
 
 Horse-nettle is a thorny weed with small, yellow, tomato-like fruits 
 the size of a large cheriy. They are not enclosed in a husk, as the gi'ound 
 cheiTy is, with which it is sometimes confused. The ])lant is a member 
 of the Tomato-Potato family, the nightshades or Solanums, and the 
 flower, resembling those of this family, in itself is crisp and pretty. 
 
 Potato beetles feed as avidly upon the spiny leaves of the horse-nettle 
 as they do upon the more succulent leaves of the potato. The lieetles knew 
 these wild Solanums long before they leaincd to devour jjotato plants. 
 From the Great Plains and the foothills of the Rockies, the horse-nettle, 
 with its usual accompaniment of beetles, then came eastwaid into plowed 
 land. The potato fields were invaded. 
 
 Horse-nettles are conunon in waste places in Illinois. The yellow 
 fruits are noticeable in late summer and autumn. They are eaten by only 
 one mammal, the sheep, which seems unharmed by a degree of toxicity 
 found in horse-nettle seeds and leaves. The fruits nic not recognized as 
 an edible wild fruit for hunum consumption. 
 
 183
 
 EVENING PRIMROSE 
 
 Oenothera biennis L. 
 
 Summer Softly in tlio twili^-ht tlio four silkon pct<als of tlio 
 
 Roadsides, fields cvcuinji- primrose moved a]i;irt from the tapered 
 
 formation of the hud and with a silken sound tliev 
 hiv open to the moths of (hisk. All day the loiifj-tuhcd yellow IkuIs were 
 tiglitly shut, but towards late afternoon tliere was a visible swelling, 
 a pufline.ss. As sunset eame and a softer liirht sjjread over the roadsides, 
 the buds «|uivered, the ealyx skin jiartcd soundlessly, and in a minute or 
 two the llowcr had o|iriii'(l. In ((nniinial ivcly \v\\ llowri's can the actual 
 l)artin,u- of the hud and the opening- of the jictals ht> ohseiTed. In the 
 ]irimrose it is rapid, it is im|)ressive. 
 
 The ])laut of the evening primrose i> dnwnv and grey-green, a slout- 
 ish stem giowing frt)ni strong lleshy roots. It is a i)iennial plant — it 
 grows from seed the first year, blotnns the .second year, then dies wlien 
 frosts eom(\ '^Phe leaves are grey-green, soft, widely toothed, attached 
 alternately to the stalk. From axils of the leaves spring the l)uds. which 
 also are. den.sely clustered at the top of the stalk. 'I'hey are of many 
 sizes, so that their lilooming covers a long pericnl in sunnner. Each day 
 two or three flowers bloom, last until the hot sun hits them next morn- 
 ing, and hang droojx'd and finished. By evening morc^ buds have grown 
 large enough to bloom. 'I'hey are fertilized by night-flying moths which 
 are attracted to the paleness of the light yellow flowers as they gleam in 
 the dusk. The tlowi>r is at the end of a long tub(> above the ovary where 
 seeds form, is four-jiarted, has eight, powdery white stamens and a pistil 
 with four spreading divisions. It is found commonly along country roads 
 and in waste ])laces. blooms from June to October, and is widely scattered 
 throughout the count rvside. 
 
 184
 
 WILD BERGAMOT 
 
 Monatda fistulosa L. 
 
 July - August A crisply erect, square-sided stem with velvety, 
 
 Roadsides, uplands opposite leaves and a mass of pale orchid-lavender 
 
 l)l()oms at the top means wild bergamot. Perhaps 
 it is a weed. Its growth has that sturdy, unconquered vigor which is asso- 
 ciated with weeds. Yet in its own haunts along fences and dusty roadsides, 
 it is not truly a weed, but a native wild flower with botli charm and 
 beauty. 
 
 The roadside flowers have a very special place in the picture of the 
 open country. They are remnants of the greater horde which, before the 
 days of steel plows and farms and highways, were massed in a tremen- 
 dous burst of color which stretched for miles across Illinois. These today 
 are only a few; luit in themselves they are enough to tell a tale of early 
 autmnn. The coloring and pattern of the bergamot flowers is contrasted 
 with the fluffy white tops of tlioi'oughwort and mountain mint, with heath 
 asters and Avreath asters and the spires of vervain, with the royal purple 
 of ironweed, and the hosts of sTinflowers, large and small. These make 
 even dusty roadsides beautiful. 
 
 The bergamot llowers are arranged in a lound head at the toj) of 
 the stalk and in each ilower as it opens there are two stamens which stand 
 tall. By the day after, the pollen is nearly all shed and the stigma, the 
 top of the pistil, has appeared. A few hours later the shrunken anthers 
 have fallen forward and the two stigma tips occupy the same place, ready 
 to receive pollen brought by visiting insects. It is an arrangement which 
 prevents self-pollination in the bergamot. 
 
 185
 
 TICKSEED ( Coreopsis ) 
 Coreopsis lanceolata L. 
 
 June- August 'I'hf ( '(»ic(>ii>i> lldwci-s are iihuiis of the prairie, sun 
 
 Prairie roadsides phiiits u hieh soak up the frrowiiijj heat, of the sun- 
 shine from .lime ahnost all the way thi-ouirh the 
 Tlliuois sumnicr. 
 
 'riie lh)\\('i-> have a (piality nt xiiil illatiii<i- hrilliaiu-e which one linds 
 in the hright hhisscaus of i»iittfr(U|is and sneezewoeds ( Heloniums). There 
 is a sheen of ^f(>hl overhiid with sun-spa rkh'. 'I'hc Mowers are sliglitly 
 cupped, n iroldeu renter surroundetl l)y ]ietal-like rays wliich are deejtly 
 toothed in ornamental fashion. The eaiv.x is hrassv iirecu-irold. very 
 smooth and glossy, the stem shiny, the knii:- narrow .leeply cut leaves 
 bright green and slightly hairy. 
 
 This is th(> Coicopsis which has become a member of the garden 
 society. Perhaps, as in the ca.<e of many other plants, this cultivation of 
 a prairie plant t(K)k place after the .'^eeds wove .<ent to l*>ngland by early 
 plant explorers, developed i^oniewhat. and weic sent hack as something 
 new and fine and exclusive, to be planted once moic in tlie soil of 
 Amenca. 
 
 There are many tickseeds native to Illinois, hut of them all. only 
 C. lanceolata seems to be cultivated. The others vary from showiness 
 equal to C. IntirroJatn. to lank weediness and small llowers. 
 
 The palmate ticksced (Coreopsis imlmnin) grows on the open prairie 
 and in low places. The stiff ])lants bear one, seldom more, bright yellow, 
 flat blossoms. The leaves arc deeply and ])almately lobed, dark gi'een, 
 opposite on the stiff stem. 
 
 18G
 
 PRICKLY-PEAR CACTUS 
 
 Opuntia rafinesquii Engelm. 
 
 June - July Where the fine sands of old Illinois dunes and sand fields 
 Sands in the river reg^ions bake under the summer sunshine, the 
 
 silken yellow petals of prickly-pear cacti bloom briefly and 
 are done. They are plants of the sand, natives of that sparse and typical 
 vegetation which is able to exist here. Long traveling roots serve to hold 
 the sands in place and draw up moisture, and the structure of the plant 
 makes it possible for it to survive in an exacting habitat. 
 
 A cactus is vi'ell suited to far more arid regions than this. The plant 
 has IK) leaves to wilt in the heat. Instead, the stems are enlarged as fleshy 
 pads in which much water is contained. True leaves come forth on the 
 young plants and appear as tiny sprouts which fall off almost at once. 
 The clusters of thorns and bristles on the cactus developed from leaf 
 buds which, through a response to dryness, became thorns. The broad 
 fleshy gTeen stems or "pads'' of the ])rickly-p('ar carry on the leaves' 
 function of manufacturing food. 
 
 In winter the cactus plants look shrunken and dead, but ])y June 
 the shriveled old plants take on now life. Buds jut from the top curve 
 of the pads, beautiful. scul])tured, conical buds whose lower receptacle 
 is studded with ])ricklc's. 'J'he flowers open into one of the most beautiful 
 of all blossoms, a shining, shimmerijig, buttcr-yellov,', silken flower with 
 an orange-brown patch at the base of each petal. In the. center is the 
 quivering, lightly set mass of bright yellow stamens. The fruits are 
 the ripened receptacles of the flowers, turned dull red and edible in late 
 sununer. Indians long ago learned how to pick the ])rickly-pears and rub 
 off the stinging hairs and thorns before eating the fniit. 
 
 18r
 
 June - August 
 Sands 
 
 GOLDEN-ASTER 
 
 Chrysopsis villosa (Purshj Nutt. 
 
 Ill ihc s;iii(l tdiintrv in inidsunniu'r. and well into 
 Scptcnilu'r, the slopes of old dunes and the wind-blown 
 roadsides are brif,dit with tiie yellow flowers of golden- 
 aster. The flowers are an inch wide with iiiinierous yellow rays aronml 
 a center of yellow stMincns nnd ])istils. dandclidn-like blossoms held erei-t 
 to the sun. "Asix'c l nl (iold", tln' (iirck n;inu' denotes, and the sand 
 country does incU'ed t<ike on a golden aspect when Chrysopsis blooms. 
 Tt comes at a time wIkmi the full blaze of summer ('omposites has 
 not yet made its a|)i)eariince ; yet tbeie is alxnit the jjlant the look of a 
 late-flowering ])laut. like a small double sunflower somehow misplaced 
 am(»ng the sands. (Jolden-aster, however, is not even a true aster, though 
 still a Composite; no true asters are ytdlow. 'I'he bnives are densely hairy 
 and rough, and are placed somewhat spirally around the brittle, hairy 
 stem. 
 
 The roots go deejjly into the yellow-brown sand. Here the golden- 
 aster is an integral part of the landscape, there along th»^ Illinois River 
 and other streams ueai' which the glacier left acres of sand. These sands 
 became anchorecl by cluiups ot piairie giass and the traveling roots of 
 rabbit's bean and cacti, i)y tiie roots of wild indigo and lead ]ilant, and 
 by the thousands of stiff, two-foot i)lants of golden-aster. Without these 
 essential plants the sand ijcrju'tually would shift in the incessant wind; 
 there would be no stability of the landscape, no roadside ."afe from drift- 
 ing dunes which inexorably move under the finger of wind to places else- 
 where, grain by grain, heap by heap, onward across the countryside. 
 Plants like golden-aster provide anchorage as well as sununer color in 
 the Illinois country. 
 
 188
 
 NEW JERSEY TEA (Redroot) 
 
 Ceanothus americanus L. 
 
 June - July The army of George Washington had a hard time keep- 
 Sandy woods ing supplies coming through to the lines. Times were 
 difficult and the pinch of hunger and cold made itself 
 felt too often for the good of army morale. But something hot to drink, 
 something aromatic and something that reminded men as closely as pos- 
 sible of the politically unpopular Oriental tea on which the British set 
 a high tax. something like hot tea ])oured steaming after a long march, 
 was vital to the army. They wanted hot tea, and they got it — Labrador 
 tea if they were near the sphagnum bogs of New England, and yaupon 
 and cassena holly tea if they were in tlu^ south, sweet gale tea along the 
 coasts, catni]) tea or goldourod tea or sumac tea. or tea made from sassa- 
 fras or sweet birch. lUit the tea made from the dried or green leaves of 
 New Jersey tea, it is said, pleased the weary soldiers and was used exten- 
 sively during the American Revolution. It also was used in colonial 
 households which were in sympathy with the Cause. Many years later 
 during the Civil War. the same phmt provided tea in times of shortage 
 or blockade. 
 
 New Jersey tea. in spite of its eastern luiinc. is found rather fre- 
 quently in the dry In'lly woods of Illinois. Here it makes a low luishy 
 shrub seldom more than two oi- three feet high, with many slender woody 
 stems springing from the base. It has dark green, veiny, oval leaves and 
 clusters of fluffy white llowei's. lik(> tufts of white foam or ivory snow- 
 flakes clustered on twig-tips. The flowers aic fragrant and attract many 
 kinds of butteiilies and other insects. The deep ruddy root is used to 
 make a bright red dye ; it gives the plant its other common name, redroot. 
 
 180
 
 HAIRY RUELLIA (Wild Petunia) 
 
 Ruellia humilis Nutt. 
 
 July It is ;i si iniip'ly diviM-se taiiiily. tho Awinthus 
 
 Sands, dry ro.idsidcs l.iinily. Scvcijil iIkmisjiihI years a^o one of its 
 
 iiu'iiil)('is. known oven then as tlu' Acantluis, in- 
 spired the most ornate ot the three types of areliitoetnral eohnnns in 
 ancient Greece, the Corinthian with its ca])ital desiirned after the enning 
 Acanthus leaves. In t'lic I'liiicil Siate> the tainily i< liniiti'd in its num- 
 bers. There is tiie water wiUow with its small orchid-like lh)wers ; tiie 
 Dyschoriste of the st;nthern pine hairens, and tlu' Huellia of Illinois. 
 And here there aiv two Huellias which are patterned alon«r similar lines 
 but grow ill entirely dilVerent haliitals. 
 
 Hairv ruellia is a plant <)t' dry. open praii-ie. Smooth ruellia (HiirJUn 
 sfrepetis) is a jjlant of moist, shady, bottomland woods. Hut i>ach has the 
 typical, opposite, oval leaves and tid)ular. lavender llowers which often 
 are called wild ]ietiinia> beeause of their similarity to th.at popular llower. 
 
 Hairy ruellia grows about a foot high or less and is very hairy. Its 
 leaves are dry; the plant can withstand much heat and dryness without 
 wilting. The llowers spring from the axils of the leaf-pairs, are blue- 
 lavender, and la>t but a day. The .<mooth ruellia (RueUia strepens) is 
 a taller ])lant, often three feet high, with juicy, dark gn-en. smooth leaves 
 and stem, and pink-lavender, itetunia-like llowers springing from the 
 axils of the leaves and lasting but a day. Hairy ruellia is typical of edges 
 of golf courses and diy banks along loails. Smooth ruellia is found in 
 river woodlands and other moist woods with deep sunnner shade. Roth 
 bloom in .Tulv. 
 
 J 90
 
 LACINIATE EVENING PRIMROSE 
 
 Oenothera laciniata Hill. 
 
 June - July AVhere the yellow-brown sands of the glacial outwashes 
 Sandy fields near the rivers blow in a fine sifting whenever a breeze 
 is about, the hairy stalks of laciniate evening primrose 
 stand up compactly. In a specialized environment they live successfully, 
 manufacture food, blossom, make seeds, summer after summer as long 
 as their chosen habitat of sand remains. 
 
 A plant which lives in sand country must survive where many other 
 plants, transplanted there, would perish miserably. Over the sands, sun- 
 shine is far more intense and hot, the light stronger, than it is in grass- 
 lands or in woods. Tlic sand in siumner is dry and becomes much hotter 
 under a long day of sunshine than black soil or grass. "Water filters 
 quickly through sand, though it may remain far below the quickly drying 
 surface. Winds are more violent across the unprotected sands and the 
 unstable sand moves in a hlui' which l)atters the glass-hard grains against 
 any plant standing there. 
 
 Consequently a plant which lives in sand country must be espe- 
 cially fitted to live there. It must have a deep root or traveling roots to 
 provide stability and seek out water. It must be able to withstand the 
 strong sun and dryness by having hairy leaves which frequently turn 
 themselves vertically so that they do not get the full force of the sun. 
 
 All these qualities are possessed by the little evening primrose which 
 blooms in midsunnner. The flowers o})en in late afternoon and are fer- 
 tilized by small, ]jale. night-flying moths whieli are attracted to the ]iale 
 yellow llowers. These have four petals above a long tul)e ; eight stamens, 
 and a four-parted, cross-shaped pistil. Th.e haves are hairy, rough, and 
 ■deeply laciniate or toothed. 
 
 191
 
 PARTRIDGE PEA 
 
 Cassia fasciculata Michx. 
 
 July - September Althoiifrli the leaves of partridge pea are not as 
 
 Sands, fields. sensitive to touch a.« those of the related wild 
 
 roadsides, ditches sensitive ])lant. they nevertheless have a degree 
 
 of response whiih causes the thin little leaflets 
 to move together when stroked d^w n the niidrii). 
 
 Partridge ])ea with its slender stems and sott little com])(iund leaves 
 is one of the connnon yellow llowers of sunnner. In sandy tields and 
 along country roads, in the grimy hlack coal dust of the coal mine coun- 
 try of southern Illinois, on the stri]vmine tailings in northern Illinois, 
 in poor soil and under jvioi- conditions almost everywhere in the state, 
 the ])ai-tridge \k\\ hlooins fi-oin duly until late Septi'mliei'. 
 
 The flowers are of irregular shape with five hright-yellow ])etals 
 nuirked with a purjjlc si)ot at the l)ase of each, and a cluster of hhuk- 
 ]nirple stamens and curving stiff pistil in the center. The asynunetrical 
 shape not only is interesting, hut it is unlike the more compait, })ea- 
 .shaped flowers of the Pea family to whi(h it belongs. Partridge i)ea 
 produces long, flat, thin green, then luown. pods with snuill brown seeds 
 which are eaten by bob-white.- and other seed-e;;ting, ground-dwelling 
 birds in Illinois. 
 
 Wild senna [Cassia uKirilaiKUcn 1>.) grows three feet tall at the 
 edges of woods aiul in low places in wckkIs near water. The stem is tough 
 and woody with long silky fibers running tbe length of the stalk. The 
 leaves are com|)ound and resend)le those of black locust, and the flowers, 
 shaped a g(X)d deal like those of partridge pea, are a deeper, more orange 
 yellow with purple stamens, and are snuiUer. held in large clu.^ters near 
 the top of the stem. 
 
 102
 
 ORANGE BUTTERFLY WEED (Pleurisy Root) 
 
 Asclepias tuberosa L. 
 
 July Plant of the sand country, blossom of the sunny 
 
 Sands, prairie roads prairie, denizen of broad sunshine and dry soil, 
 
 the orange butterfly weed sets a spot of brilliant 
 pigment on the prairie. The plant makes a broad, spreading bush of 
 many stems Avhich spring from a very deep, stout taproot, or stands, a 
 single stalk, witli that unmistakable mass of bright orange blossoms at 
 the top. The small flowers grow in a spreading head to which buttei*flies 
 and other insects come to sip the noetar. 
 
 As in the case of other milkweeds, the l)utterfly weed has compli- 
 cated flowers which are designed to prevent the entry of ants and other 
 crawling insects. The hairy stems, besides, further prevent insects from 
 climbing u]) to the flowers which must be ])ollinated by flying insects 
 alone. But although the flower is typically that of a milkweed and so 
 are the leaves, the butterfly weed has no milky juic<'. 
 
 Butterfly weed, like many milkwcMnls. has toxic qualities in its acrid 
 juice, but because of the distasteful flavor and the hairy stems, few if 
 any animals will eat them and thus do not suffer from jjoisoning. An old 
 remedy for pleurisy once was obtaiuetl Ironi the .-tout, dee]) root, hence 
 the name of pleurisy root which is often given to tlie butteiily weed. 
 
 But the latter name is much more ajjjjropriatc today on the hot and 
 sunny ])rairie or across the wind-swc])t sand fields of the river country. 
 For the butterflies know the hiilliaiit orange flowers of butterfly weed 
 and gather around to sip nectar, so that almost always one may see at 
 least a butterflv or two in the vicinity of any clump of ])utterfly weed. 
 
 193
 
 POPPY MALLOW 
 
 Callirhoe triangulata (Lcavcnw. ) A. Gray 
 
 July - August Aldiii;- the i(i;i(lsi(lc.s and in the lilack oak woods of the 
 Sands sand ittuntry there l)hissoin in sununer the Iji'luht 
 
 ilowcrs ol' pojipy mallow. It is a roior and a I'onn not 
 connnon in this part of the eountiy: aiul the i)oi)py mallow is so splendid 
 that it mifjht seem to \)o a pudcn llower eseaped to the woods. 
 
 l'o])py mallow is fairly common in the sand country, especially 
 alon«;- Jioute 100 hetwcen Beardstcnni and ^leredosia. and further north 
 in the sands of the Jlavana re-^aon. It is one of the ))lants typical (»f the 
 sands; in a haunt re.«tricted to a specialized lloia. it stands out as a 
 heautit'id llower, 
 
 Tlu' llowers are the typical mallow form — live petals, scpiared oft 
 and notched, arrangt'd around a center composed of a cluh-shaped concen- 
 tration of stamens and pi.<til. The petals are a silky, irlistening, hright 
 magentn-rose or lavender-rose, occasionally pure white. They stand erect 
 on thin, wirv stems on ]dants which sometimes recline upon the sands. 
 The upper leaves aie nairow or three-]>arted, the lower leaves long and 
 triangular or halherd-shaped. the K)wermost heai-t-shajx^d. Many fonns 
 of leaves ai)pear on one plant. Tiny are thin, waxy, rough, and dark 
 green. 
 
 Poppy mallow is found in the sandy black oak woods where New 
 Jersey tea, rabbit's bean, lead plant, aromatic sumac, and prickly pear 
 cacti are connnon. It blooms from June throughout August, 
 
 1!>4
 
 COMMON WHITE WATER CROWFOOT 
 
 Ranunculus trichophyllus Chaix. 
 
 June To .-submerge many a terrestial plant is to drown it, 
 
 Swamps, lakes hut certain plants are peculiarly fitted to live under- 
 water and cannot survive long elsewhere. In slowly 
 moving streams and hroad, shallow swam})s there lives the white water 
 crowfoot, a member of the Buttercup clan, whose entire plant, all but the 
 flowers, is submerged. 
 
 In needing sunlight and air for blossoming, the whiti^ water crow- 
 foot admits its kinship with land plants. Although it needs water for its 
 roots, stems, and leaves, the flowers must rise on tall stems above the 
 surface of the water in order to l)loom and make seeds. 
 
 They are scat- 
 flying insects 
 which come to pollinate them. The centers of the white flowers arc clus- 
 tered thickly with stamens around a compound grccnisli center of many 
 pistils, where the seeds form. This is the ancient patteiii of the pi-e- 
 historic buttercup, ancestor of all other flowers. 
 
 The ripe seeds fall into the water and sink to the luud. lf(Mv they 
 gemiinate, send out roots into the ooze, send up stems with lliiely cut. 
 water-loving leaves, and. at last, there come steins which go upward intn 
 the sunshine and spread their blossoms in the open air. 
 
 The flowers look like glistening white buttercups, 
 tered like shining stars over the bright water and invitt 
 
 195
 
 PICKERELWEED 
 
 Pontederia cotdata L. 
 
 Summer P>ri<:lit l)hic in the morning sunshine which sparkles across 
 Swamps ihe dew -wet marsh, the ihiwcrs of tl^e ])ickorohvee(ls open to 
 tlicir fullest beauty. The llower is ahnost orchid-liko. yet is 
 related to the -water hj^cinch of Florida (Eichhornia). The petals are 
 bright lavender-bhic accented by two yellow sjwts near the opening of 
 the flower. Since l)lue a])]iarently is the color most attractive to bees, the 
 yellow spots must be guideposts to lead the bees to the neetar and, inci- 
 dentally, to the stamens and })istils. Pickerelweed flowers have three 
 types of stamens and pistils, long, medium, and short, each kind found 
 in difTerent ilowers scattered through the swam]i. It was ])roved by 
 Charles Darwin, through exhaustive e.\i)criments, that jHillen from long 
 stamens must fertilize long pistils, just as pollen from medium or short 
 stamens must fertilize medium or short ])istils. As the bee enters the 
 ilower of the ))ickerelw(>ed tbe poUen from eaeh type of stanu^n. whichever 
 ]nay be in that partiiular llower. (ouihes the heatl. chest, or abdomen of 
 the bee. As the i)ee enters other ilowers, the long, medium, or short pistils 
 touch whichever s])ot of pollen came from the long, medium, or short 
 stamens; in tills way the nii>st efticient ])rodueti(!n of healthy seeds is 
 made i)ossil)le. 
 
 Pickerelweed Ilowers are at th<'ii- best eaily in the day. By after- 
 noon the delicate petals h.ave curled up and are i)urplish and dull, are 
 not blue and bright. The i)ickerelw(>ed stalks still have a look of blue- 
 ness but it has none of that sparkle of the morning blue, when the red- 
 wings and nuirsh wrens are all singing madly in the sunshine and the 
 white egrets, up from the south, tly on wings of unearthly white across 
 a morning sky. 
 
 196
 
 ARROWHEAD (Wapato. Duck Potato) 
 
 Sagittaria latifolia Willd. 
 
 Summer It is midsummer in the marshes. The cattails are 
 
 Swamps, ponds tall and are full of heavy brown seed-heads. Mallows 
 
 blossom along- the shores, smartweed is bright pink, 
 the arrowheads are in bloom. Their plants fill the shallows and stand on 
 the muddy shore. They may live at the water's edge or stand with the 
 stems half submerged. And down in the mud is the thick white root- 
 stock which the Indians knew as something edible, a starchy tuber they 
 called Wapato or duck potato. This the women went out "to gather in 
 late summer and autumn when the starch \\'as ^veW stored in the roots. 
 The women went into the muddy shallows and gTu])bed about with their 
 toes and hands to uproot the "potatoes", and gathered them in when they 
 floated. They were grated to make cakes or were roasted in hot ashes. 
 
 The leaves of arrowhead are so distinctive they are never mistaken 
 for anything else. They are largo, iliin, veiny, in the shape of a large 
 arrowhead or spearhead. There are many variations in Sagittaria — nar- 
 row little leaves without the flanges, tiny, naii'ow ai row-shaped leaves, 
 very broad leaves, some with short flanges or long flanges. Sagitiaria 
 latifolm. however, is the tyi)ical ])lant of the family ami i- tlie one fi>nn(l 
 most commonly in Jllinois ponds and swamps. 
 
 In July and August the arrowheads send up stout, ])ithy flower 
 stalks set with round green buds arniiigcd in thi'cn's in tiers up the stem. 
 The buds open, and sparkling white flowers with three crinkled snowy 
 petals glisten in the sun. They are arranged around the tight heads of 
 green carpels or yellow stamens in a ball-like or somewhat flattened 
 center. 
 
 197
 
 WATER HEMLOCK 
 
 Cicuta maculata L. 
 
 Summer WIkmi iniilsuniinor conios with the full force of July, 
 
 Swamps, ponds iind ilic iii(ii>t plairs <,a'o\v loss moist and the dry 
 
 })l;uos hiiki' ill llio sun, the water hemlock blooms 
 aloii<i: tl\e grassy, wet edges of ponds and swanqis. 
 
 Water hemlock r(\>;embles that ancient plant, the poison hemlock, 
 which fjrows in Ainciica as well as in Europe. In Cirfvce long agi) ihc 
 juice from the root of this plant wa.s extracted and used as a deadly 
 poi.son for executions of people of honor. It was the hemlock derived 
 from the ]inisonous root of this ])lant which was iriven to Socrates in the 
 vear ;?nn \\.(\ 
 
 The root of water hemlock also is poi.sonous. hut not as deadly as 
 its kin, Conium. whose hitter potion the philosopher drank. Water hem- 
 lock grows about three to four feet tall ajid is a bright dark giu^'n with 
 slender branching steins. The leaves are abundant; it is a bushy plant. 
 The leaves are compound and finely saw-toothed, and as in other members 
 of the Parsnip family, the llower umbels are borne at the tips of the leafy 
 stems. The llowers are white, tiny, in separate heads in the spreading 
 mnble. and are slightly fragrant. It has a wide range. According to (iray. 
 it is found from Newfoundland to Virginia, and west across the conti- 
 nent to the Mississippi. It has .-several other names, a point which i.s proof 
 that the plant is connnon and widely known. Reaver jioison is one of 
 its names, or nmsipuisb root, or spotted cowbane. Apparently its poison- 
 ous root is dajigerous to the incautious muskrat* or beavers which dig 
 them out. 
 
 198
 
 BUTTONBUSH 
 
 Cephalanthus Occident alis L. 
 
 Summer Along the Imckwater shores of the river, the buttonbush 
 
 River swamps puts out its honey balls for midsummer bees. Button- 
 bu;-h is a low sliriib of the wet lands, of the black, caked, 
 alluvial soil remaining- after floods or, its roots in the water of a black 
 swamp, spreads bright green leaves to the hot sunshine and sends rich 
 fragrance into the thick, swamp air. 
 
 There in the swamp, there along the river, when midsummer makes 
 low water and muddy shores, the buttonbush is part of a picture of that 
 wild country. Here tlie green heron nests in an overhanging willow ; here 
 beneath the buttonbushes the young wood ducks come to hide after a 
 swim in the shallows ; here in the bushes themselves the tiger swallowtails 
 come to si]) buttonbush nectar. Kedstarts chitter endlessly all day \oT\g 
 in the tall maples along the river ; a water snake slithers across the mud 
 and beneath the buttonbushes, winds itself up in the branches and waits 
 for a prothonotary warblei- to pass singing that way. This is the kind 
 of country the buttonlnish belongs to, is part of — and foiTns that impor- 
 tant middle strata above the low plants and the tall trees in the river 
 swamps. 
 
 Buttonbush is in the same family as coffee and cinchona (quinine), 
 partridge berry, bedstraw, and bluets, a most diverse family which comes 
 botauically between the plantains and the honeysuc-kles. Buttonbush has 
 the typical opposite leaves of the iladder family. The flowers spring at 
 right angles from the axils of the leaves and are composed of a globular 
 mass of tubular creamy white, extremely fragrant flowers whose long 
 protruding stamens and pistils give each flower-ball a piucushiony, fluffy 
 appearance of great beauty. 
 
 199
 
 HALBERD-LEAVED ROSE MALLOW 
 
 Hibiscus militaris Cav. 
 
 Summer In l.itc suiiinicr wlieii the water level nightly falls 
 
 Swamps, ponds in jionds aiid swamps and rivers, and when the tall 
 
 white e_urets i-oine wadiiitr in tlic shallows of the 
 niarshes, the lialherd-leaved mallows hlooni. Early iu the hriuht sununer 
 morning, when the egrets are ])reening and stretehing tlu-ir wings in the 
 tall dead trees l.c-idc thr >\\;un|i hright hirds against a dazzling sky — 
 the wet land helow the roost trees is lull of the newly ojuMied hlossoms 
 of wild mallows. I'^arly in the morning the dew is heavv upon them. 
 
 The plants are tall and fihrous, threi' to six I'eet high. The leaves 
 are altcniato and are. as the name indieates, shajjed like a halhcrd or 
 ])ole-a\; they nw roughly triangidar. The llowers unfurl hroadlv in the 
 early sunlight t>f the summer morning — ])ale. Ilesh-colonnl or j)ale pink 
 llowers, live petaled, with a dark red hloteh d;)\\ii in the hottom of the 
 hell. The stamens are arranged around a eentral column which teiini- 
 nates in five separate stigmas on whidi insects often stop. After the pollen 
 from another llow(>r reaches tlu> j)istil, the flowers are furled again and 
 turn a de(>per pink hefore they fall. The seeds are hairy and are enclosed 
 in an inflated pod which remains on the hush long into the winter. There 
 in the frozen swamp where the cold winds rattle the raveling stalks of 
 the mallows, the pods shake and the small hiown seeds are tln'own into 
 the swamp mud. Some are eaten hy mice and hirds, others are unknow- 
 ingly pickivl up on the feot of wading hirds and nniskrats ne.xt sjjring 
 and are carried to other shores. 'I'heie, during thi^ growing season, new 
 mallow ]ilants grow to extend their ]>opulation through the wet ])]aces. 
 
 The velvety-leaved rose mallow (Hihi.'icus Ioj<iooirpus) has flowers 
 similar to the ahove hut the velvety leaves are heiirt-shai>ed. It is found 
 along muddy shores of streams and ponds in the southern third of the 
 state. 
 
 200
 
 LIZARD-TAIL 
 
 Saururus cernuus L. 
 
 Summer In the days of long ago there came slow-plodding caanels into 
 Swamps the noisy marketplaces of Athens, Eome, Alexandria and 
 Damascus, with pungent bags of pepper and other spices from 
 the Orient. These eagerly were bought by the wealthy, the only persons 
 in those days who were able to afford to pay for spices. Pepper itself was 
 a fantastic luxury. A Grecian prince, it is said, gave seven sheep for half 
 a pound of it. and Alaric. King of the Goths, demanded a ransom from 
 liome which included 3,000 pounds of this condiment. Pepper was a 
 treasure of great price, and its trade is one of the oldest on the earth. 
 Because of it. new sea routes to the land of pepper were discovered, new 
 islands located, new trading companies fonned, all because of the pepper 
 vine which grew on certain islands in the East Indies. 
 
 The innocent cause of all this excitement and world turmoil is a 
 climbing or trailing shnib called Piper nigrum. It has jointed stems and 
 oval, shiny, leathery leaves, from the axils of which spring small tails 
 of tiny white flowers. These develop into drooping clusters of gi'een, 
 berr}'-like fruits which are the pepper-conis. 
 
 In an Illinois swamp there grows the lizard- tail, the only American 
 meml)er of the tribe Saururaceae, to which the pepper vine belongs. The 
 lizard-tail has some of the characteristics of the pepper plant — heart- 
 shaped, leathery leaves, and tlie long white tails of flowers, tapering like 
 a lizard's tail. This lone member of a tvo])i(al family grows abundantly 
 in certain swamps, not as a vine but as a plant two feet tall or so, blos- 
 soming in July when the egrets come back to Illinois swamps. Serene 
 in the swamp, lizard-tail has escaped the turmoil which for centuries has 
 surrounded its close kin, the pepper. 
 
 201
 
 SWAMP MILKWEED 
 
 Asclepias incarnata L. 
 
 Summer WIumo the grround is saturated with water along the stream 
 Swamps iiud in the wet ])asture. or in the roadside ditch which never 
 dries, there stand tlie tall stalks of swamp milkweed. In July 
 and August tliev are topped with spreading c lusters of rose-pink and pale 
 ])ink ilowers with a rich, swtn't, vanilla-like fi-agrance to which are at- 
 tracted iniHuuerahle hees. ilies, and hutterllies. As in the manner of the 
 connnon milkweed and others of ilu' gemis. Hying insects ]iollinate the 
 milkweed ilowui-s, hut often are caught hy their feet as they attempt 
 to dejjart. 
 
 Swamp milkweed has smaller Ilowers than many of the clan, but 
 l»rodu(cs them ahuiulautly. Their color and form are among the most 
 ex(juisitc of summer Ilowers. their fragrance among the most delectiihle. 
 
 The leaves are glossy, veiny, alternate on the tall stem which often 
 grows to six feet tall in a favorable locality. This is the sort of place 
 where woodcocks ]ioke aiouud in s])ring nnul. where redwings nest in 
 nearby willows and lattails, where frogs sing ow balmy evenings, where 
 the low trilling of toads fills the warm sunnner night. Here the bull snake 
 and the water snake come to catcii frogs on a sunnner day. Here on the 
 nnul ilats when high sunnner dries much of the water level, the kill- 
 deers and sandpipers come ))eei)ing and crying in an endless search for 
 insects. This is the haunt of swamp milkweed in Illinois. It is as much 
 a ])art of it a.>^ all the other wild things which live or grow or feed or have 
 their being in the wet jibices. 
 
 202
 
 AMERICAN LOTUS (Chinquapin. Yonkapin ) 
 Nelumbo lutea (Willd.) Pers. 
 
 July - August In midsummer the Illinois Elver and its adjoining lakes, 
 Swamps, lakes as well as many other still waters over much of Illinois, 
 become a land of pale yellow lotuses blossoming, acre 
 upon acre, across the state. Late in spring the rolled-up, red-brown leaves 
 push out of the mud, and as they emerge in the sunlight they become a 
 soft, silvery green. The convoluted, crinkled, twirled up leaf slowly 
 spreads wide in the warm sunlight and becomes a big leaf platter, slightly 
 cupped, with a depression at its center where the stem joins from below. 
 Here almost every summer morning a few drops of night dew roll down 
 the slippery leaf surface and come to rest, mercury-like, in a glistening- 
 globe of \\'ater. 
 
 By the time the leaves have spread to their usual width of a foot 
 or more, a big, egg-shaped bud comes pushing up from the mud, is en- 
 cased in several layers of corded scales and sepals, and finally stands 
 five feet high or more from its base in the lake. Early one July morning 
 the sepals fall away and the delicate, enormous flower, pale yellow and 
 exotically scented, opens in majesty. The center is made uji of a large, 
 flat-topped, pe])pershaker pistil in the surface of which the seeds form. 
 Around it cluster dozens of lightly poised, dusty yellow stamens. Rows 
 of big oval petals are arranged around the s])lendi(l center. 
 
 From mid-July until early September, the lotus is iho outstanding 
 blossom of Illinois. The great petals fall and the tall stem with its 
 shaker-top of seeds ripens and browns. The loaves even before frost grow 
 tattered and brown, and sink into the water. The seed pods bend over 
 and fall in the water, where the })ods disintegrate enough to liberate the 
 large seeds, 
 
 203
 
 •^ 
 
 
 QUEEN-OF-THE-PRAIRIE 
 
 Filipendula rubra (Hill) Robins 
 
 July Queen-of-tlu'-prairie is a rare wild spiraea which blossoms 
 
 Swamps in July in certain chosen spots in northern Illinois. It is a 
 ])lant not of the western prairies ])ut of tliose extendinjr ^vest 
 of the Alleghenies from Pennsylvania across to Iowa and into Michirran, 
 and down even into Georgia where the true iirairie does not exist. The 
 specimen photogra])hed by .Mr. Voss was found in Tazewell County near 
 East Peoria. 
 
 It grows in a. sunny iiog wlieiv the sunnnor sun heats down aiul the 
 marsh wrens clatter in the distant sedges. The plant is compact with 
 several broad, deej^ly lobed and toothed, veiny, bright green leaves, and 
 a slender, woody stem. At the top of the stem is a i)lume of ]ieach-l)lossom 
 ilowers which are irresistible to i)assing butterllies and are buzzed around 
 by bee."*. 
 
 These tlowcrs not only are the c(»lor of peach blossoms, but are like 
 them in miniature, with n flulT of white stanu'us standing tall about each 
 ilower so that the blossom head ])r(\<ents a delicate and ethereal apj)ear- 
 auce. Five-petaled, rose-pink, fragrant, the small blossoms of queen-of- 
 the-prairie show their true kinship to the ro.se family Mhere they properly 
 belong. 
 
 The young marsh wnuis leave the nests in the sedges. The blackbirds 
 are flocking. Now in the September mar.>;h the queen-of-the-prairie, its 
 leaves a rusty green and drooping a bit, holds a spike of glossy brown 
 seed pods to the warm late sun. 
 
 204
 
 ST. JOHN S-WORT 
 
 Hypericum sphaerocarpum Michx. 
 
 Summer "Saint John His Wort" is the old termin- 
 
 Hillsides, sunny woods oloo-y : the old English name "wort" simply 
 
 means plant. The Hypericnni is St. John's 
 Plant for no particular reason, though many species bloom on St. John's 
 Day, June 24. 
 
 The Hypericums are flowers of high summer. In the long days and 
 bright sunshine they reach their best growth. Their leafy stems and 
 many-flowered heads are bright along the roads and in the woods where 
 they are a special part of a colorful midsummer flora. 
 
 The flowers of St. John's-wort are bright yellow and thin petaled 
 with that same sunshine-glint which the buttercujjs have. The five petals, 
 however, are thinner and silkier than those of buttercups, and they stand 
 out in a star shape, either slightly cupped or flat, or the petals bend 
 backward while the splendid cluster of bright yellow, curling stamens 
 stands outward to invite flying insects to stop for a while, sip nectar, 
 and fertilize the flower with pollen from another ]flant. 
 
 St. John's-wort has pairs of smooth, untoothed, opposite leaves which 
 are rather thin and somewhat clasping the slightly ribbed stem. The 
 leaves are dryish with a prominent midrib standing out on the underside. 
 
 Hypericum sphaeromrpinn has larger llovrors and a simpler stem 
 than the more bushy Hypericum perfomtum. The latter has many small 
 flowers which are deep yellow, black-dottod along the fluted margins. The 
 oval, slightly tapered leaves have tiny ])alo dots scatterod u])on thorn. 
 
 205
 
 FROSTWEED 
 
 Helianthemum canadense ( L. ) Michx. 
 
 Summer Flower of tho Sun— this i.- lleliantlu'unniu wliosc Latin 
 
 Sunny woods naiiir means jii>t that. At the top of the slender woody 
 stem tliere opens a hriirht. ])ale yellow blossom, nuich 
 like a small yellow sin<:le rose. It opens only on a sunnv dav. and lasts 
 just as long as the sun is in the sky. At sundown the petals "drift to the 
 «rround and hy mornin<r a new Imd has reaehed the point of heing ready 
 to open when the sun shines. 
 
 Frostweed has a reason, also, lor it.^ eommon name. T>ate in autumn 
 the stiff brown stem, hereft of leaves and its sun-lovin? llowers. still 
 stands in the winds whipjiinu out of the nortli. The nights are chill, and 
 frost fonns hy morninir. The thin, ruddy hrown hark near the base of 
 the frostweed's stem is eraeked, antl crystals ot frost protrude an<l sparkle 
 in the sunshine. 
 
 Frostweed is never connnon hut is scattered over many parts of the 
 Country in dry irravclly hills and sandy slopes. Here the root probes dee])ly 
 for moisture. The unitranchin<i sinij)!*' stem rises stiflly into the sunshine, 
 and bears along it ])airs of narrow, slightly downy leaves. The frostweeds 
 and rock roses, in the family Cistacvae. are a small group comprising 
 only three genera: Helianthemum, Hudsonia, and Lechea. The latter 
 two are snuiU upright plants with tiny llowers ; all three choose sandy 
 places in which to thrust their roots and spivad their leaves and flowers. 
 
 206
 
 FIELD BINDWEED (Wild Morning Glory) 
 Convolvulus acvensis L. 
 
 Summer Around the dingiest tenements, bordering the forbidding 
 
 Waste places fences around grimy factories, in the black, cindery ballast 
 of railroad embankments and railroad yards, the field 
 bindweed produces bright white trumpets all summer long. It may be 
 called a weed, an introduced weed which came oyer from Europe some 
 time ago, but it is neyertheless one of the few, if not the only, flowers 
 to grow undisturbed in the most impossible conditions of cities. It seems 
 to thriye in a sooty atmosphere where eyen the summer sun shines 
 through a haze of dirty air, where coal smoke blackens the Monday wash 
 before it is dry, where locomotiyes spew forth a cindery breath, or the 
 smokestacks of factories belch black grime. Perhaps this is because fresh 
 flowers open eyery morning, and the old flowers of the day before, their 
 brief work done, are forming seeds in their fertilized oyaries. There along 
 the sidewalk, the wire fence, the ballast, the bindweed plants coyer eyeiy 
 inch permitted it, and eyen climb up the wire mesh of the factory fence 
 or caress the creosoted railroad ties or entwine the telephone pole's 
 guy wires. 
 
 This Conyolyulus, like the other moniing glories, is of tropical 
 origin, where the first morning glories may have known the humid 
 moisture and warmth of Jungles and climbed high and wide into the 
 forest trees. The morning glories we have today may have been left in 
 the north when a warmer climate departed with the approach of the 
 continental ice mass. At any rate, the bindweeds, both native and intro- 
 duced, are generous with their flowers and lavish with their vines and 
 leaves. 
 
 207
 
 MAN-OF-THE-EARTH (Macoupin 
 
 Ipomoea pandurata ( L. ) Mcy. 
 
 Summer 
 Bottomlands 
 
 Tlu'n^ wa.-^ a good deal to oat in the land of the Illiniwek 
 - — if you knew where to look for it. There were cattail 
 and calamus r(K>ts. and cake.< to he made of cattail 
 pollen or acorn meal or panic p'ass seeds. There were lotus pods and 
 lotus roots, as well as the hoans and corn and squash which the ancestors 
 of the Illiniwek had hrouglil fioin their ancient homelands in the south. 
 And there was always the macoupin. or man-of-the-earth, if you knew 
 where to find it. 
 
 Man-of-the-earth, or man-root, is a memher of the Bindweed 
 family. The root is huge and dccpiy hidden in the eartli. hut tJKMV is so 
 nmch food in it that the eifort in digging it out is worthwhile. Said 
 Father Alloucz, hack in the late .«;eventeemh century: "The Illiniwek 
 gathered 'macopin', a long tuberous swamp root wliidi nnist be leached, 
 before eating. Thi^se niaco])ins serve as ])rovision for most of the savages. 
 The roots are as large as an arm, others a little smaller. The savages 
 make a lu)l(> in the earth where they ))ut a bed of rock icddentnl in the 
 lire, then one of hvnes, one of macopin, one of reddend rocks, and 
 so on up to the to]) wliiih they cover with earth and leave their roots 
 inside to sweat for two or three days. After this they boil them and eat. 
 them alone or with oil." 
 
 The man-()f-the-eai1h or maconi»in (from which the name Ma- 
 coupin County was obtained) still giows in Illinois. K(H)ts weighing 29 
 ])ounds or more still are found. The llowers of man-of-the-earth vine are 
 luminous white trunijiets with a purple throat which 0[>en broadly in 
 the smnmer sunshin»>. The leaves are fid(lle-sha]ied or heart-shaped.. 
 
 arranged on a long 
 
 straggling vine. 
 
 •208
 
 DODDER 
 
 Cuscuta species 
 
 Summer Dodder is one of the strange parasitic plants which are 
 
 Bottomlands ])art of the Illinois flora. Dodder starts out as a plant 
 witli roots in the soil, M'here the small seeds have germi- 
 nated, but as tlie thready yellow, orange, or red stems reach up and twine 
 around a nearl^y jjlant, the roots shrivel and the plant loses all contact 
 with the soil. The dodder derives nourishment fi'cm the juices of the 
 host plant, which the parasite obtains by means of suckers attached to 
 the plant at numerous points of contact. The ultimate fate of the host 
 plant usually is death, but it usually lasts long enough for the dodder 
 to nourish itself throughout the summer and blossom out in quantities 
 of tiny yello^\• orange flo\\-ers produced in masses along the thready stems. 
 It is a strange plant, the dodder. It belongs to the Bindweed 
 family, along with the morniiig glories and bindweeds, all of which have 
 proper leaves and roots set in the gTOund. But something happens to the 
 dodder after it starts to grow and it never has any leaves or gTeen coloring 
 matter to assist in the manufacture of its own iood. All it needs, there- 
 fore, are the tightly twining stems which grow by dozens like eager worms 
 around all the plants in the immediate vicinity until the dodder plants 
 make a bright orange mat against the greenery of the summer. Dodder 
 makes seeds, as other plants do, and these fall to the ground to germinate. 
 
 209
 
 TRUMPET-VINE ( Trumpct-CrccpcrJ 
 
 Campsis radicans (L.j Seem. 
 
 Summer 
 
 Bottomland vvoods 
 sands, roadsides 
 
 Tlio river forc^^t is dark and .soniotiine.< eerie and 
 hroodiiiiT in tlie lialf liirlit wliicii find? its way 
 tlrrou^h tlio dense lealv eanopy held hi^di above 
 the fj^roiiiid. The ground is covered in sunnner 
 with a low junfjle of stinging nettles and jewel-weed with a scattering of 
 other i)Iants which grow in the hard, caked ground. The tnn^s are ni.istly 
 tall — the giant while-armed syi-ainon>s, the elegant elms, the broad and 
 leafy silver mai)les: these are the tall tree< ol the hottondands. Some- 
 times there are pecan trees along the Illinois and the Missi.^sippi. Below 
 them as a midilh^ strata arc ])a|)nw trees, wahdo-. Iil,u!dri'iiut>. redhuds, 
 spicebusli. 
 
 And from the tall tiiink> of the tree- there hang the t reiiieiidous 
 festoons of trumpet-vine, illuminator of darkness. 
 
 The vine st^irts up Irom a deej), wo»Kly root anil sends up at first 
 weak green vines, in the i)assing of years, however, the stem becomes 
 woody and trunk-like, from which each year's new growth si)rings, grows 
 woody, and. matures. The stem twines firmly ainund trix>s and hangs 
 great green draperit^^ of c!)m|)oun(l leaves. Among them shine the bright 
 red-orange trumpet ilowers which aic visited by iunnniingbirds all sum- 
 mer long. The seeds form in large l)ean-like pods which in winter split 
 lengthwise and Kt the Hat. ])aper-winged seeds flutter into the woods. 
 There are several manners of growth among the trumpet-vines, only 
 one species of which is rec-egnized for Illinois. Some may grow to great 
 heights in forest trees. Others never climb l)ut sprawl over undergrowth 
 and do not put out much length of vine. In open lowlands, along fences, 
 in open situations, the vine is more woixly and forms a bush. 
 
 no
 
 FRINGED LOOSESTRIFE 
 
 Lysimachia ciliata L. 
 
 July l-.ike yellow primroses, in whose family they actually are. 
 
 River woods the frinoed loosestrife flowers open in midsummer when 
 hot sun and dry wind might wither more delicate flowers. 
 But fringed loosestrife, in the river-bottom ^\'o■ods and along railroad 
 tracks where the ditches are damp, blossoms in July and seems well 
 able to survive the sinumer. 
 
 The plant is tall, often three feet high or more, with pairs of oppo- 
 site, yellow-green, tapering leaves all along the branching stalk. Along 
 the upper half of the stem there are flower stalks and branches which 
 spring from the axils of the leaves, with slender, curving stems bearing 
 oval, tapering buds. These open as five-petaled, pale yellow flowers with 
 a pale red blotch at the base of each petal. There are five cursdng, stiff 
 stamens and the pistil, and five recurved, sliai'])-pointed sepals cupping 
 the flower. 
 
 Although fringed loosestrife has a tall, lank jihint, the flowers never- 
 theless have some of the quality of spring blossoms. The upper part of 
 the plant is a spring-flowering plant: the lowci- half is more like a 
 summer weed. Perennials, they grow in the heavy rich ground of the 
 river bottoms where tlu^v l)l(v m abundantly durina' most of .Tulv. 
 
 211
 
 
 
 
 
 V> 
 
 
 \V^ 
 
 4- ^-'^ 
 
 
 
 ^Nli^ . 
 
 
 STARRY CAMPION 
 
 Silene stellata i L. ) Ait. 
 
 Summer Most suininci- llowors are stout and sturdy and the flowers 
 Woods themselves are able to withstand nnich sunshine and heat 
 witlioiit witlierin<;. But the starry cani]>i(»n, lh)wer of niid- 
 sumiUiM- woods, is as (lelicate rs a sprin*; ))lossoni. It wilts almost at 
 once when it is |iiike(| or when the heat is intense even in the shady 
 woods, and dandles its buy l>ells briefly before they fall. 
 
 The stany campion's tlower when it is spread widely shows live 
 ])eta]s which aic deeply laeiniate or cut almost tlu' length of eaeh ])etal. 
 It ii|)|)ears almost to be a uroiip ot white tatters of laee held tojretber by 
 the ])ale, green-white calyx. It is one of the few really delieate and 
 fragile sunnner wihl llo\vei> in the Illinois woods. 
 
 The flowers are arranged in pairs and ilnsters along the tall, pale 
 stem. The leaves are stendess, tapering, grey-green, and slightly downy, 
 arranged in wh;)rls of four along the stem. This pattern is a good in- 
 dication of the ])lant's identity even when it is n<it in bloom. 
 
 Stai-ry cam|iion is part of that ])lant and animal comnumity whieh 
 is found in the mixed oak wooil- in the snnuner. I iidei- the shade of 
 the leafy canopy there are few llower.< — the iam])ion, the skullcaj). the 
 American bellllower. the tick trefoil, and the tangle of bedstraw matted 
 on the ground. Here the wood pewi-e on a high dead twig cries plain- 
 tively all day long, and the re(l-eyed vireo endlessly explores the treetops 
 and sings a monotonous song, lieneath the camjiions, the chipmunks 
 scurry about on their minutely important errands, and a beetle, glisten- 
 ing with iridescent blue and blaik, climbs a campion stalk and then takes 
 wing through the summer woikIs. 
 
 212
 
 ROUGH PENNYROYAL 
 
 Hedeoma hispida Pursh 
 
 June Small, aromatic, low. the pennyroyal may be walked upon 
 Woods without anyone noticing that it is there, until the sweet aroma 
 of the crushed leaves and stems tills the summer air. Penny- 
 royal is one of the most fragi-ant of the mints, with none of the acrid 
 quality of some of the pungent or bitter members of the family. Penny- 
 royal tea. brewed from the dried and crumbled leaves, contains the essence 
 of that flavor of the dry summer hills. 
 
 Pennyroyal is part of the mid-summer flora of the dry oak woods 
 floor, there on the hilly places where the soil is caked and cracked during 
 the periods of no rain and much heat. These are the woods where the 
 wood pewee wails thinly all day long, from three o'clock in the morning 
 until nine o'clock at night ; woods known by the fox squirrel and the big 
 velvety cecropia moths. Woods like these may be full of early bloom, but 
 in mid-summer there is almost nothing in bloom, and the sparse vegeta- 
 tion is dry and almost without life. Somehow the i)ennyroyal manages to 
 bloom and live until, in late summer and early autumn, the little low 
 plants finally grow dry and sore. It is now that their ai'omatic perfume is 
 strongest in the warm days of September. Even under snow, and at the 
 ragged end of winter, the remaining little thin stems and remnants of 
 leaves continue to hold that unmistakable odor. 
 
 Two species of pennyroyal are found in Illinois. The American 
 pennyroyal {Hedeoma puJeffioides) is most abundant throughout woods, 
 is most aromatic and is taller than other pennyroyals. The leaves are 
 elliptical and petioled. liough |)ennyroyal (Hedeonid hisipidn) has sessile, 
 linear leaves, is very hispid, and is limited to sandy soils. 
 
 213
 
 HEART-LEAVED SKULLCAP 
 
 Scutellaria ovata Hill. 
 
 June - July In tlio oak woods whore shade is deep in summer, there 
 Woods cr>iiu' two jjurpic llowers, the tall hellllower and the skull- 
 
 cap. They do not schmu to need much sun in which to grow 
 tall and lilo.-.-oiii ahuiulantly all through the Imt. steamy days of late 
 siiiiuner. Then^ in the Illinois oak woods where the i!ios(|uitoes are violent 
 and the wood thrush nests on an overhanging hough, the intricate llowers 
 of skullca]) start to hlooni at the hase of the hud stalk and work their 
 way to the top. 
 
 Skullcap is one of tlie mints hut it has no aromatic odor. It doe.s, 
 however, have the characteristic scjuarish stem and opposite leaves, and 
 is downy, the leaves veiny and scallop-to;)thed. Tlu' llower stalks spring 
 from the top of the stem and iiear many |)uri)le huds which elongate and 
 hurst open as tuhular. hright ]>ur|)le ancl whiti' llowei-s with droojiing lips. 
 
 The calyx which enfolds the hase of tl'.e tuhe and contains the ovary 
 undergoes a certain change when the lh>wer has linished hlooming. and 
 it is this change which gave the name of Scutellaria to the skullcap — 
 scutella. meaning "little dish". For the seeds form in the transformed 
 caly.v which is like a. tiny dish with a lid. or a tight little hox holding 
 the developing seeds. When thesi- are rij)e and the pod is dry. it splits 
 its lid around where it is fastened and the .setnls fall out on the wind. 
 
 Several other skulliaps are found in Illinois. ^lad-dog skullcap 
 {Scutellaria Jalrriflora) with its thin racemes of small hlue flowers is 
 found in swamps and wet places. Small skullc.i|) (SniltJhiria jxjriula) 
 is found in moist, cool places in wood> with a northward slope. 
 
 214
 
 PURPLE CONEFLOWER 
 
 Btaunetia purpurea (L.) Britt. 
 
 June - August Tt is a startlingly different sort of color, that purple- 
 
 Prairie roadsides jjink of the purple coneflower blossoming in a damp 
 
 ditch beside the road or below the ballast of a rail- 
 road embankment. The plant is a stately one and is often used in gardens; 
 particularly the purple coneflower is often sold by plant nurseries. This 
 plant is stiff with alternate, rough, tapering leaves on a hairy, rough 
 stem topped with a single large flower. The rays curl somewhat or droop 
 below the rounded, conical center. This at first is pur])le, but when the 
 orange stamens come out. the coh)!- contrast between the pui-ple, the 
 orange, and the ])urple-])irJv rays is not always too pleasing to the eye. 
 Out along the railroad tracks or on the broad sweep of sunny prairie, it 
 is part of a landscape which often puts orange butterfly weed and pink 
 phlox together without too obvious clashing. 
 
 Of these two coneflowers, the pur[)le is considered the more beautiful. 
 Pale coneflower {Bmunerm p{ilJida) has paler rays which droop as if they 
 felt the hand of blight or wilt u])on them. The round, stiff, bristly cone 
 stands erect; the thin, nari'dw lays hang low in Ww bright sunshine. 
 The plant is smaller than the pi'eceding, has long, narrow, rough leaves 
 both basal and alternate on the stem, and, like the other, is a plant which 
 is typical of ditches and roadsides oF the v.ct pi-airic l>oth bloom from 
 late June through July and occasionally well inlo August. 
 
 215
 
 INDIAN PIPE 
 
 Monotcopa unifiora L. 
 
 August - September A creation in white wax set anionf]^ the ferns and 
 Woods mosses, the Indian ]>i]ie on a hite snnimer day 
 
 ])uts a special (jualily oL' excitement in tlie woods. 
 Devoid of all (olor. the strange, hrittle-hiokinof })ipes stand motionless 
 and nnreal. It is a.^^ if they are spectres fidm another world, <,diost phmt^ 
 of the forest. Xo other colorless plants seem to possess exactly the atmo- 
 sphere of mystery as liidiaii pipe d!)e> in its chosen and unexpected sjiot. 
 The Indians said thai w In iivci- the Indian ]n])e spranjr up, an Indian 
 once paused to shake out the white ashes fmm his pipe. 
 
 Indian ])ipe is a sa|)roi)hytc. not a ])aiasit(^ as are the cancer root 
 and squawroot. It lives on dead material in the j,n'oun(l, usually dead 
 wood huried in the lirh. soft humus of deej) woods. From this there rise 
 the curhHl-over while stalks with their pijie-like hlossoms. The.se are 
 coini)osed of many white. overlap|iinLr scales surroundinj^^ a I'haste, vase- 
 shaped pistil and dark stamens. Thi' sti'ms are ))ure white with a few 
 alternate white scales upon them insteail of h'aves. Indian jjipe has no 
 true leaves and no paitirle of <jreenne.<s. Occasionally there is a hint of 
 pal(^ ])ink or icd in llowcr or stem, hut usually it is that stark, ice-white 
 which, a.s the plant ages, slowly hlackcns. At first only the .scales and 
 parts of the llower are tipped with accents of ehony. Then slowly the 
 ripening llower standi erect and the wliole plant turns hlack. It stands 
 there drying, the hi-own sccmI pod remaining in the original va.^e shape 
 of the pistil, stands all through, tlie autumn and winter, and lasts well 
 into the conung spring. 
 
 21G
 
 AMERICAN BELLFLOWER 
 
 Campanula ameticana L. 
 
 July - September Tall among the summer trees, the spires of lavender- 
 Woods liliie bellflowers relieve the Illinois woods of a de- 
 gree of weediness and overgrowth into which by 
 midsummer they seem to have plunged. There are nettles and tangles of 
 bittersweet, bushy ]jlants of tick trefoil, tall Joe-pye weeds and many 
 more which transform the once neat spring woods into a jungle by mid- 
 summer. Xow the slim, somewhat angular stems of American bellflower 
 grow tall, yet never seem weedy. They may be two to six feet high, the 
 stems set with alternate, tapered, thin, dark green leaves and milky juice. 
 A tall spike bears blue, flat bells mark(nl with white lines, white center, 
 and out-cur\dng lavender styles and white stamens. 
 
 It is a biennial. The seeds which fall in late siunmer start to grow 
 immediately, so that by frost there are small plants which look a good 
 deal like blue violet plants. Other seeds remain and germinate in the 
 spring. These plants remain low all the following 3'ear, but the next 
 spring they begin to send up their tall stems and leaves which appear 
 entirely different in shape from those of the first year plants. The plant 
 blossoms abundantly and forms mure buds, branches out at the axils of 
 the leaves and often continues to bloom until heavy frost. Then the 
 plant is dead. Its seeds have been scattered and will provide for coming 
 blossoms. 
 
 At least two other Campanulas or bellflowers are native in Illinois. 
 On sandy ledges in northern Illinois, especially at Starved Eock State 
 Park and rarely elsewhere, the slender, wiry stems of the harebell (Cam- 
 panula intercedens) dangle their purplish-blue bolls in the canyon winds. 
 In marshes and wet places grows the marsh bellllower {Campanula apari- 
 noides) . The small bell-shaped flowers are white or very pale blue-white. 
 
 217
 
 MULLEIN FOXGLOVE 
 
 Dasistoma macrophylla (Nutt.) Raf. 
 
 Summer AI)()vo the river the avockIs in siininier are dense and 
 
 River woods shaded. Mosquitoes sing^ their lumtinc: songs. Kedstai-ts 
 witli their tlash of flame and bhick and fan tails chatter 
 all day in the inajjles. The prothonotary \var])ler is nesting in a hole in 
 a willow. And on the sloi)e well above the annual high-water mark, above 
 the place where the hurrah's nests of old cornstalks and debris are caught 
 in the bushes, the tall ])lants of nnillein foxglove bloom. 
 
 The deep shade of the river woods is one of the reijuirements of 
 mullein foxglove; it is seldom found away from this particular haunt; 
 it is part of the river-bank country in July and August. There it opens 
 its bright yellow ilowers and makes it*; seeds over a |XM-iod of many weeks. 
 
 It is a pyramidal jilant. It is very leafy, with the branches and leaf- 
 age broadest and most dense below and t4ij)ering to the sununit of the 
 stalk which often is five feet t^dl. The lower leaves are lobed, the upper 
 narrow and simple, the branches set with yellow buds. Only a few of 
 the small glossy, butter-yellow flowers, howevi'r. o])en at one time, so 
 that the blooming jieritHl is considerably extended through the smnmer. 
 
 The throat of the llower is thiikly furred with hairs and wool which 
 prevent entry of most insects. Tlic tube of the flower is short, the five 
 spreading corolla ])arts broad and blunt. The flower is very much smaller 
 and not so bright a yellow as in the yellow false foxglove. Both, however, 
 are members of the divei-se and highly specialized Fig\vort family, to 
 which also belong the snapdragons, veronicas, foxgloves, Paulownia, 
 penstemons, mulleins, and Indian paint brtish. 
 
 218
 
 YELLOW FALSE FOXGLOVE 
 
 Auteolaria gtand'iRora (Benth.) Pennell 
 
 Woods The yellow false foxglove is a splendid addition to the 
 
 July - August .summer woodland flora of Illinois. 
 
 On the hogback ridge where the black oaks and 
 ironwoods grow in heavy clay soil, the graceful plants of the yellow 
 false foxglove stand tall in the splashy sun and shadow of the ridge 
 woods. The foxglove plant has many willowy stems three feet tall or 
 more, abundantly leafy with leaves deeply toothed, somewhat folded, 
 grey-green ; in the axils of the leaves are the bright buttercup-yellow buds. 
 At first they are round. Then they elongate and open as a large tubular 
 blossom often two to three inches long, witli a broad, open face of five 
 petal divisions and a deep, shining, golden throat. The flower glistens 
 much as a buttercup or a marsh marigold does, and is almost like a 
 garden flower misplaced there in the oak country or dry clay soil of the 
 hogback. But the yellow false foxglove could not live in tlie garden. 
 This plant is a semi-])arasite on the roots of oak trees, and such parasites 
 are firmly anchored to their chosen host in their chosen haunt and can- 
 not be moved. Unlike many tnie parasites, the false foxglove has green 
 leaves which manufacture most of theii- own food. The roots are fas- 
 tened to the roots of tlio host, from which some food and moisture are 
 obtained. 
 
 In August and September the yellow false foxglove opens its dra- 
 matically beautiful flowers; they turn brown and drop away, and more 
 buds open during a i)eriod of several weeks. The interesting, blackened 
 stalks of seed pods remain all winter. 
 
 219
 
 GREAT BLUE LOBELIA 
 
 Lobelia siphilitica L. 
 
 July - September In thr cmiIv autumn tlio roadside ditches and wood- 
 Ditches, streams laud stroanisides often show spikes of a bright hUie 
 
 llower — a dot']>. ahuost ultramarine hhic marked with 
 white on the thnH'-paried lip. This is the great blue lolielia. 
 
 Autumn somehow is the fitting time for bhie flowers sueh as these. 
 Now the sky becomes a deej)er blue. There is a haze on the hills; there 
 arc fli)eks f)t' bhiebii'ds Hying. The lobelia is auotb.er expression of tliat 
 magnificent autumnal color. 
 
 Althougb tlic blossom is well suited t;) garilen use, where truly blue 
 flowers are scarce and in dcmainl. tbe wild iduc lolK'lia s(>Idom is used 
 in American gardens, liut as early as KKi."), seetls of this jjlant. together 
 with other American rarities wbicb were new to Knglish eyes, were sent 
 from the colony of A'irginia to be grown in England. Here the flower was 
 highly prized and many hybrids were produced from it. Acioss the world 
 from its native land, tbe lobelia became a favorite garden llower. 
 
 But lobelias have been known still longer as medicinal plants. They 
 contain in their juices a poison whose effect is somewhat like that of nico- 
 tine when taken internally in large doses. It affects the respiratoiy sys- 
 tem, the heart, and the blood pressure. Xevertheless. the lobelia's poison 
 when administered in i)ro])er doses as a medicine is used to relieve 
 asthma, bronchitis, and certain resj)iraton' diseases. 
 
 Cardinal llower (Lnhcl'm cardinal is), a bright scarlet lobelia, is a 
 native of swamps and wet places, of the edges of drainage ditches which 
 it margins with spikes of dazzling color, or of wet meadows where it 
 grows with drifts of white and blue luipatorium, marsh grasses, and 
 goldenrods. 
 
 2-^0
 
 JOE-PYE WEED 
 
 Eupatorium purputeum L. 
 
 July - September Tall and regal stand the Joe-pye. weeds in the August 
 Woods woods. The bellflower is in bloom; so is skullcap. It 
 
 is hot and sticky and quiet in the woods, quiet except 
 for the incessant buzzing of insects. Birds sing little now except for the 
 endless songs of the vireos and the clattering of woodpeckers in the old 
 trees. Butteirfiies and bees in the woods come now to the great plumes of 
 the Joe-pye weeds whose scent is part of the midsummr atmosphere. 
 
 Joe-pye weed is one of the Composites, one of the Eupatoriums which 
 claim the white snakoroot, the boneset, the thorouglnvort, and the blue 
 mist flower as members of the family. Of them all. a sturdy tribe, Joe-pye 
 weed is the largest and most imposing in growth and blossoming. Al- 
 though it is so tall, it somehow escapes weediness by having uniform and 
 geometrically placed whorls of leaves in groups of four or five around 
 the slightly downy stems. The stem is erect and does not branch. The 
 summit of the stalk has a large and much branched head of small fuzzy 
 flowers with long stamens and pistils thrust big 
 The flower heads arc fi'agi'aut and are a source 
 to foraging bees. 
 
 In the northern swamps and bo<^ 
 brightly colored Joe-pye weed blooms in August. Tbe stems and flowers 
 are lavender-nmgonta, often very bright with that purple-rose color which 
 is so common among many species of flowers in the north. 
 
 )ove the short rays. 
 late sunnucf nectar 
 
 a shortcM- and stouter, more 
 
 991 
 
 >^ (V X
 
 WHITE SNAKEROOT 
 Eupatorium rugosum Houtt. 
 
 August - September Xiiiitv Linooln lay ill in the cartli-floorcd cabin 
 Dry woods in Kentucky, and no one know \vliat to do about 
 
 i1. 'I'lic lean cow out in the woods pasture stood 
 about listlessly ami treinbled in spasms of shivering that shook hor bony 
 frame, Nancy Liiuolti died and iloubtloss the cow did. too, and in the 
 dry Scjitcmber woods the white snnkei'oot's lustv irreonerv continued to 
 grow in abundaiiee. 
 
 Not until eeiupaiatively recently was it discovered that the scourge 
 of pioneer days, the dreaded milk sickness, and "trembles" in cows, was 
 caused by white snakeroot ])()is()n. 'I'he ])lant contains a violent toxic 
 ])oison which all'ects i-ows whieh eat it. .Human beings who diiuk the 
 milk of these cows are infected with milk sickness which even now often 
 results in death. Cows in woods pastures, where lierbage by late summer 
 is dry and sjiarse, are forced to eat the green leaves of snakeroot. 
 
 There are many blupatoiiums, some of whieh are dillieult to identify, 
 others of which are simple. Boneset {Eupatorium perfoUotum) is a 
 stout, very hairy plant of the sunny uplands. The ])airs of rough. 
 haiiT. ttwthed l(>aves clasj) the stem or are entirely ])erfoliate (with tlie 
 stem ])iercing the joining leaves), 'flio Howers an^ fuzzy, grey-white, and 
 are held in brond heads at the top of the ])lant. Late Boneset {Etipa- 
 ioiium scrotinuni ) is snumth and grey-green, with pairs of narrow, 
 deeply toothed, grey-green leaves. The flowers are grey-white in clus- 
 ters at the tops of the stems. Blue mist-llower, often called ageratuin, 
 {Eupatorium coetc'^tinum) grows in woi^s. It is one to two feet tall, 
 smooth, with small, veiny green leaves, and heads of fuzzy lavender-blue 
 or sky-blue tloweis whieh are often used in gardens. 
 
 222
 
 LADIES^ TRESSES 
 
 Spitanthes cernua (L.) Richard 
 
 September The ricli vanilla-fragrance of ladies' tresses along the 
 
 Dry woods, autumn trail is a startling and most pleasant experi- 
 
 sunny banks ence. There Avhere the trail through the mixed hard- 
 woods comes out into the hroad sunshine, where the 
 goldenrod and asters blossom abundantly, there are low, ivory-white 
 orchids in full bloom. It is mid-September, and the latest orchid of the 
 year, and one of the most fragrant of all wild orchids, is in blossom. 
 
 Ladies' tresses grow in rather unexpected places. Kather, in autumn 
 one has forgotten about looking for orchids; besides, most wild orchids 
 grow in deep woodlands or in bogs. It seems odd to find wild orchids 
 growing so well in the dry clay soil along the foot-trail toward the u])land. 
 The soil is hard, the sun is bright, and the dry Aristida grasses send 
 their three-pronged seed-awns into the socks of the passing hiker. Yet 
 here are delicate little white orchids, the ladies' tresses. 
 
 Spiranthes is a spike orchid. In spring the dark green, naiTOW, blunt 
 leaves come up along the trail and stay green most of the summer. By 
 August, however, they have disappeared, and a month later the tight 
 stalks with the braided white buds grow into the Scpti'inbci' sunshine. 
 The flowers begin to bloom from the botton of the s])ike and are in blos- 
 som for several weeks until the last pointed white bud at the tip of the 
 stem is out of bloom. The flowers are curved with frilled lower lip and 
 white parts arched on either side of the tube. And the fragrance fills the 
 air. It comes to meet the hiker long ])efore he has reached the spot wliere 
 the ladies' tresses bloom. It rises like something tangible into the sun- 
 shine, and arbutus-like, pen^ades the area where September orchids bloom. 
 
 223
 
 in r^ / 
 
 TICKSEED SUNFLOWER (Beggar-ticks) 
 
 Bidens aristosa ( Michx. ) Britt. 
 
 August - September Now in ScpU'inltcr tliere comes over the country- 
 Fields, ditches side that true autuniii glory which reaches a cli- 
 max of color in the niassiu": of vellow everywhere. 
 September is the yellow time; now the tickseed sunflowers hloom. There 
 are millions of tlmse ,a-list('nin<:- oraufie-yellow daisy llowers in all the 
 low damp ])laces. Thi y loljiiw the contours of the landscape and fjrow 
 in all the open sunny low lands — down the meanderin*; len;xth of a drain- 
 aii'c Wiish in a (ield. alonu- the roadside ditcher, across whole (lescrted 
 lields, esjK'cially in southern ]lliiu)is in the oil lields. There is in the lick- 
 seed sunflower little of the aspect of wewliness so often associated with 
 the late sunnner and autumn llowers. 'J'hese plants are all low, seldom 
 more than two feet tall, slender, smooth, with finely compound thin, 
 glossy leaves, and many hraui liing stalks hearing those cupped, dazzling 
 yellow llowers. They are open in sunshiny weath.er, closed and drooped 
 in rain or at night. To Illinois they give something of the same splash 
 of golden color over the lantlsca])e which is jirovidcd l»v California ])oppie.s 
 on the hillsides of the west. 
 
 The tickseed suntlowei- is not a true sunflower, l»ut is in the genus 
 Bidens. the bur-marigolds, beggar-ticks, and Spanish needles. They 
 are noted for their two to four l)arl)e(l awns on the seeds which stick 
 to a passerby and travel along on his clothing. Some are exceedingly 
 sharp and unpleasant, others not so ])ersistent. Oidy a few of the Bidens 
 have flowers of any b(>auty ; most of them are so highly efficient as seed 
 producers that they have no ray flowers, but concentrate flower energy 
 u{)on the center — the flower is all center — where the massed seeds are 
 developed. 
 
 224
 
 COMMON SUNFLOWER 
 
 Helianthus annuus L. 
 
 Summer The sunflower, said the ancient Greeks, is Clyte, a sea nymph 
 Roadsides who fell in love with the sun, was changed into a sunflower, 
 and forever follows the daily movements of the sun across 
 the sky. The American sunflower, a tall and splendid native plant, does 
 as the Greek sunflower did thousands of years ago, and usually keeps 
 its face turned toward the sun as it moves over the sky. 
 
 The annual sunflower, largest and most useful of its tribe, originally 
 was native west of the Mississippi; much later it was made the state 
 flower of Kansas. But more than four hundred years ago, the western 
 Indian who moved across the Mississippi took sunflower seeds with them. 
 Gradually, through the centuries, the sunflower A\-as planted or escaped 
 from Indian plantings, until it had reached Lake Huron, where Samuel 
 de Champlain found it when he came to the American wilderness around 
 the Great Lakes. He found that the Indians made a textile flber from 
 the stems, the leaves were used for horse fodder, the seeds for food and 
 for oil, and from the flowers a yellow dye was made. Tlie sunilower 
 for many years has been one of the most useful of the plants known 
 to the Indians and remains useful \u today's economy. 
 
 In their flower heads, the sunflowers possess a tremendously compli- 
 cated seed-producing mechanism. The so-called petals are yellow rays. 
 The sticky brown, resinous, scented center or disk is composed of hun- 
 dreds, sometimes thousands, of complete flowers which produce yellow 
 pollen and erect pistils which eventually fnll away and reveal a l)ending 
 head of ripe, fat-filled, vitamin-rich sunflower seeds, food for Indian, 
 cardinal, or barnyard fowl. 
 
 225
 
 
 HAIRY SUNFLOWER 
 
 Helianthus mollis Lam. 
 
 Late Summer Twonty-livo sunlloweis and many subspecies are listed 
 Roadsides in (! ray's Manual of Botany . 1050 edition, and of these 
 
 ninny arc found in Illinois; most of tlu-m l)loom in 
 September. 
 
 Hairy sunflower {Helianthus mollis) is compact, seldom more than 
 two to throe foot tall, has ])airs of small, thick, hairy, heart-shaped leaves 
 clasping- the hairy or downy stem. Usually one showy sunllower with 
 brown center stands regally at the top of the stalk. A neat, ornamental 
 plant, it is found alonfr sandy ]u*airie roadsides and at the edjres of woods. 
 
 AVoodland sunflower {llcUanthvs divaricatiis) grows in dry woods 
 and lilooms in July, earlier than the majority of sunilowers, and some- 
 times is the first of its kind to come into bloom. The three to six foot 
 stem is slender, stiff, and fine-hairy, with ])airs of opposite leaves ar- 
 ranged rather far apart ujion it. One to thr(^(> flowers are borne on short 
 stalks above the la.^t ])air of leaves and are three inches broad with 
 golden-brown center. 
 
 Giant sunllower {Helianthus yrosseserratus) is truly the giant of 
 fhcm all. The plants often reach a heiixht of eight to twelve feet and are 
 much branched above with abundant ilowcr stems. The leaves are large, 
 jaggedly toothed, in drooping pairs on the rough stem. The upper part 
 of the stem with its num(>rous branches bears great clusters of bright 
 yellow sunflowers with golden-brown centers. The flowers ])Ossess that 
 compelling beauty of the sunllower, and are fragrant with a rich odor 
 reminiscent of chocolate. The giant sunflower is a common border plant 
 ahmg country roads, bottomland roads, and ditches in August and Sep- 
 tember. This is the climax of the year's color: this is the Time of Yellow 
 Flowers. 
 
 226
 
 
 ^*>'.4 
 
 PRAIRIE CONEFLOWER 
 
 Ratibida pinnata (Vent.) Barnh. 
 
 July - August Along certain higliways and the railroad right-of-way 
 
 Prairie roadsides in Illinois, there are plants which are remnants of 
 
 the old prairie, most of which has been plowed and 
 its llora changed. Usually in plowed prairie soil other plants spring up; 
 the old species die out and frequently the plants taking their place are 
 escaped cultivated plants or immigrants from Europe or Asia. Only in 
 a comparatively few places in Illinois are there plants typical of the 
 ancient prairie habitat. These stand out as distinctively as if they were 
 foreign rarities consig-ned to a roadside. Instead, they are the original 
 inhabitants. 
 
 Very late in the history of the Ice Age, the Pleistocene, there was 
 mucli flooded, soggy land as a result of melt-water from receding glaciers. 
 'J'hrough the procession of plant succession which took place over many 
 years, the broad lakes filled with plants, and when the long drouth and 
 searing winds came late in post-glacial times, miles of prairie formed in 
 Illinois. Plants which never had grown in Illinois before, during all its 
 forested interglacial times and more rigorous glacial periods, now moved 
 in from western plains. Among these very likely were the columnar and 
 the prairie coneflowers. 
 
 Far more common, inhabitant of most prairie roadsides in Illinois, 
 is the grey-headed or prairie coneflower. It is a ragged-looking plant 
 with grey-green compound leaves and flowers distinguished by their hard 
 grev cones and drooping pale yellow rays. It blooms in late July and 
 August. Like its rare relation, the colmnnar coneflower (Ratibida col- 
 umnlfem), it has, somehow and forever, the look of ancient prairie coun- 
 
 try in its blossoming. 
 
 2^7
 
 BLAZING STAR 
 GAYFEATHER 
 
 Liatris pycnostachya Michx. 
 
 July - August They mv ])lanls of the open prairie — these nienihers 
 
 Prairie roadsides of a drainatic and nias^rnificont family, the Liatris. 
 
 In inanner ol" growth and in color and size, the 
 Liatris clan is iiniciuc in the world of bright ])rairie llowers. 
 
 Gcay feather is a Composite, closely related to the bonesets and thor- 
 oui^lnvorts. whiih thrives in the blazing sunshine and dry soil of open 
 country along railroads and highways, and on ojx^n, diy clay ridges. Here 
 in August, stand up tlic exclamation nuirks of the gayfeather, which is 
 one of the most splendid plants to be found (m the Illinois praiiie. It 
 grows in a long, uubrauchiug wand which often stands four or five feet 
 tall. Perhajis two-thirds of its resilient stalk is closi-ly set with spirals 
 of short, narrow leaves. The remainder of the stem is a thickly set club of 
 l)right, rose-pui'])le, starry blossoms. When they are in bloom, they present 
 a "oattair* of rose-])ur|)le flowers which are fuzzy with the extended white 
 stamens and ](istils. For a time the entire stalk is in bloom at once: then 
 the lower flowers begin to fade as the ui)|)er Inuls continue to blos-(im. 
 
 There are at least six species of gayfeather and blazing star in Illi- 
 nois. All are vciy similar in habit and color, and most have a wide range 
 from north to south through the state. '■J'hpy are most frerjuently found 
 with the drifts of early goldenrod and tick trefoil, with ironweed and 
 prairie sunflowers, there where the grey spermoidiile has its burrow and 
 the nest of the yellowthroat down in the drying grass is empty now of 
 eggs and young. 
 
 228
 
 
 ■ ,j^yr»~<r - - ijj y ""^ 
 
 ri 
 
 , k .^o 
 
 m 
 
 — - --^— f a liar 
 
 
 HILL^S THISTLE 
 
 Cirsiutn hillii (Canby) Fern. 
 
 Summer Grotesque and somewhat over-elaborate as a flower. 
 
 Roadsides, prairies Hill's thistle in June sets its large flowers above 
 
 ten-to-twenty-inch stalks on the sunshiny prairie. 
 The plant is low and stout and finely downy, as well as extremely prickly 
 on the twisted and deeply cut and spiny leaves. It always appears as if 
 this thistle plant were buried in the gTound with only the last half foot 
 or so thrusting through the tough prairie sod. But this is a characteristic 
 of the Hill's thistle and the closely related bull thistle. 
 
 The flower of Hill's thistle is a large, globular head of bright rose- 
 purple or pink, or rarely white, florets bursting from the prickly, orderly 
 receptacle with its individual line prickles standing out at intei"vals. The 
 flower is a composite mass of long purple florets from which thrust the 
 powdery, cream-white stamens and the long, thin pistils. When the thistle 
 is fertilized, usually by butterflies, the flower becomes a mass of downy 
 fluff, at the base of which are the seeds. Wlien goldfinches come to eat 
 the seeds and use the silk for nest-building purposes, the released silks 
 often float away on tlic wind. 
 
 The low, compact Hill's thistle is found on open prairie land along 
 tlie highways and occasionally in prairie pasture land. The very large 
 flowers are instantly noticed even by passing motorists, and by botanists 
 seeking typical plants of the Illinois ])rairie. 
 
 The common bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a biennial plant, three 
 to five feet tall, which has come to us from Europe and has become estab- 
 lished in pastures and old fields througbout the state. Its leaves are green 
 on both sides, which serves to distinguish it from the field thistle, which 
 has leaves white beneath. 
 
 229
 
 FIELD THISTLE 
 
 Cirsium discolor (Muhl. ) Sprcng. 
 
 Late Summer - Autumn ISTow thistles bloom. Their pink-purple flow- 
 Fields, roadsides ers are an emblem of the greatness of g-rowth 
 
 and the streng^th of life in early autumn. 
 They are part of a landsca})e which includes the first scarlet buckeye 
 leaf at the edge of the woods, part, of the dark green depth of the oak 
 leaves, part of that stamina characteristic of summer ))lants which grow 
 in hot sunshine and dry soil. They must be strong to withstand a beating 
 sun and a degree of hot humidity wliicli is part of sunmier in the Mis- 
 sissippi valley. 
 
 Aiouiid the pasture pond the thistle blossoms attract ])und)lebees 
 which come buzzing in basi?o to visit the wbitc pollen-tipped stamens 
 and ])robo deeply into the nectaries of thistle honey. The thi.stle butteiily 
 {Vanessa amliii) ])erhaps laid eggs upon these spiny leaves. F]"»on them 
 now the cater|)illars feed, form chrysalids, enu'rgi' as l)rown and golden- 
 patterned butterflies which sip the thistle nectar. 
 
 (loldfinches in bounding Idaek and yellow llight dart singing into 
 the thistles. Already the earlier blooms have fonned llutT-topped seeds, 
 and these the goldlinches eat. They neatly snij) olf the meaty seeds and 
 allow the silks to go floating off across the countn'side. Perhaps in the 
 thistles, too, there is a goldfinch nest lined with thistle dow n. Within the 
 thorny fortress the goldlinch nest was safe. 
 
 'hiis is tile thistle and its late summer-early autumn environment,, 
 its ])art in the end of the growing season and the approach of winter. The 
 insects and birds, the sunshine and wind and rain, which are part of the 
 thistle's existence, also are part of that complex life which is in Illinois 
 and the flowers which upholster it with color. 
 
 2:^0
 
 ROSIN WEED (Compass Plant) 
 Silphium laciniatum L. 
 
 July - September A giant on the prairies, the rosin weed grows in the 
 Prairie roadsides blazing hot sunshine of the Illinois summer. It is 
 
 part of that picture which remains to tell of the old 
 prairie when plants like this one grew for miles and their resinous odor 
 filled the late summer air. 
 
 Kosin weed is one of the giant Silphiums which still are guide-])Osts to 
 prairie conditions. Like the finger-posts of Spartina grass and Sullivant's 
 milkweed, the Silphiums, in particular the rosin weed and prairie dock, 
 indicate the presence of that dense black soil, unplowed and undisturbed 
 since the days when the prairie itself was unplowed and undisturbed. 
 The rosin weed gi-ows tall. It is seldom less than five feet tall and 
 often reaches twice that height. Its stout, densely liairy stem is tough 
 and resinous; globules of white resin ooze out and are sticky along the 
 stalk. The upper half of the stalk contains bright yellow sunflowers, two 
 to three inches broad with a calyx of overlapping haiiy, resinous bracts, 
 the flowers set alternately and spir;\lly around the stem. There may be 
 a dozen or two flowers all in Ifloom at once. Below tliem are the remark- 
 able leaves. They are thick, resinous, tough, so deeply lobed that they 
 almost appear compound. On the wide, open prairies the leaves of this 
 plant are often disposed so that they present their edges to north and 
 south, hence the name of compass plant by wliicli it is commonly called. 
 
 231
 
 11/ V 
 
 * V f ^/» 
 
 
 
 PRAIRIE DOCK 
 
 Silphium terebinthinaceum Jacq. 
 
 July - August As (listiiictive as the lieiiu'iulous wands of flowers 
 
 Prairie roadsides which iimrk the presence of rosin weed are the tall 
 
 stalks of the prairie dock wliich rise above great 
 spade-sha])ed leaves. The leaves themselves are individuals; there is 
 nothing else like them in prairie, swamp, or forest. 
 
 Prairie dock leaves come up in spring and stand without flower stalks 
 or further growth until August. The leaves are a foot or more long, on 
 stalks of shorter length, and arc thick, resinous, sjiadc-shaped, and 
 coarsely toothed. These leaves, like those of other Silitliiums aud plants 
 which, like these, live in hot. open sunshine and wind, are coated with a 
 rouffh waxv laver and are constructed in sueh a manner that moisture is 
 not easily evaporated from them. In the hottest weather the leaves do 
 not wilt. They are ereet above the ground and thus present only their 
 thin edges to the sun, not tlu' i)road faces of the leaves as the water lilies 
 and lotuses do. 
 
 In August, from among the clusters of leaves, there spring tall, 
 smooth stalks, at the top of which are less than a dozen .smooth round 
 buds. These open as small sunflower.-*, very much like those of rosin weed, 
 but smaller and more delicate. High above the large leaves, these grace- 
 ful stalks seem to have no connection with the leaves or roots. Up in 
 the sunshine and against the prairie sky, the flowers of prairie dock wave 
 in the wind, bloom and go. The resin in the leaves and stems has an 
 odor suggestive of turpentine, hence the Latin name "ter<;binthinaceum". 
 
 232
 
 CANADA GOLDENROD (Tall Goldenrod) 
 
 Solidago altissima L. 
 
 Late Summer A very important part of the seasonal atmosphere 
 
 Ditches, low places would be lost if there were no goldenrods in bloom 
 
 from late July until October ... if there were 
 none of those golden plumes bending as one in the summer wind ... if 
 there were no great flower-gardens of goldenrod along the swamps and 
 in ditches and on hills. It would be as empty a season without goldenrod 
 as springtime would ])e empty without violets. Each is indicative of the 
 time of year and of the mood of the season, as inexorable and as irre- 
 placeable as the going and coming of the migrant birds, or the passage 
 of Time itself across the calendar. 
 
 Goldenrod in Illinois numbers dozens of species. Many are difficult 
 to identify because their characteristics are so similar. But certain species 
 stand out regally as individuals and may be identified as species, not just 
 grouped in the great family of goldenrods. 
 
 One of these is the Canada goldenrod, \\ith its long wands of stems 
 topped with a broad mass of flowers. The leaves are sessile, gi-ey-green, 
 slightly toothed, abundant up the length of the stem. This tall goldenrod 
 grows in moist places near swamps and in prairie roadside ditches. 
 
 The flowers of goldenrod unite in a tremendous working colony of 
 blossoms, each of which is complete in itself. The center of each tiny 
 yellow flower contains the tube flowers which produce the fluif-tipped 
 seeds. Around the tubular blossoms are the thin yellow rays. The golden- 
 rod flower-head contains hundreds of miniature sunflowers. 
 
 This goldenrod is the type plant of the family — the goldenrod which 
 comes to mind when late summer is mentioned, when ''all over upland 
 and lowland, the chami of the goldenrod'' oi)ens the doonvay to autumn. 
 
 233
 
 SOME OTHER GOLDENRODS 
 
 Late Summer - Autumn Tlicre are some distinct species whose names 
 
 Woods, roadsides, stand out in the long list of goldenrods. 
 
 swamps Seventy-five members of the genus are listed 
 
 in llic new, revised Urny's Manual of Boianij 
 (1950). and a l;ir;;c number of these are to he found in Illinois. They 
 range from deep woods and wooded hills, to the dry, o])en uplands, the 
 prairie roadsides, the dry oak woods, swamps, and .-^tony iields. There is 
 a goldenrod for nlmost any situation, and late sunnner and early autumn 
 sec them at their best. 
 
 Plant of the unplowcd ]ir;iiri(' roiulsides is the stiff goldenrod {SoU- 
 ilago rigida). Its erect, rigid stalks are topped with a flat cluster of brass- 
 yellow, large flowers, mueli larger than most other goldenrods, with few 
 rays and broad centers. The leaves are small, thick, oval, closely arranged 
 around the stem and growing smaller toward tlie top of the stalk. It is 
 a compact, unbranching plant of prairie soil which blooms in late August 
 and Septemlier. 
 
 Quite dill'erent in its manner of growth and haunt is the elm-leaved 
 goldenrod (Solidago uhnifoUa) whicli grows in dry rocky oak woods in 
 late sunnner. The ]ilant is tenuous and spreading, with oval, slightly 
 hairy, ])right green leaves placed alternately along the thin stem. The 
 flowering stalks are slender and long, each one lined with several rows 
 of flowers. Elm-leaved goldenrod is shown al)ove. 
 
 234
 
 ^^^^■^^L^Hftr. .' J^^8^iaiSi>i!J- xMi^^ ~Ti^^ig 
 
 « *i<!^j^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 I-*- 
 
 
 ^' 
 
 ijl^^ j^'.s^HI^" 'J^T-'^^h' ' ■* 
 
 
 &^«.% 
 
 
 ^B.^'liH 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 IHHHHK.....^.4£fik .jflHH 
 
 v. 
 
 HEATH ASTER (Frost Aster. Frostweed) 
 Astec pilosus Willd. 
 
 September - October Everywhere over the countryside, over Illinois 
 Roadsides, fields from one end to the other, from the Wisconsin 
 
 border to the meeting of the rivers at Cairo, from 
 the Wabash to the Mississippi, and over a large part of the entire con- 
 tinent, from British Columbia and Maine to Texas and Arizona and 
 Georgia, the heath aster in Septeml^er is in blossom. It is one of the most 
 abundant of all wild asters. The white frost of heath asters whitens 
 almost every countiy road, borders almost every pond and swamp, frosts 
 the uplands and is a mist of white in the lowlands. It is a simple little 
 white aster with a yellow center and it grows almost everywhere. 
 
 The heath aster an-anges its small white flowers along secondary 
 stems which branch methodically from the curving main stem. The whole 
 stalk forms a bending garland of white flowers which are lightly set and 
 host to flying insects when the sun is warm. The leaves of heath aster 
 are thin and short and narrow, rather like those of the heath itself. 
 Erica, which resemblance gave the aster its common name. 
 
 There are many small white asters in autunni : there are so many 
 that they add only confusion to an already confusing plant group. There 
 is the loosely flowered Tradescant^s aster (Aster tnuUsmnti) named for 
 John Tradescant who had the plant growing in the king's gardens at 
 Lambeth. There is the little wreath aster {Aster multifiorus) which has 
 its l)ending branches thickly set with tiny white flowers half the size of 
 the heath aster but more than twice as abundant. The entire plant is a 
 wreath of flowers and forms grey-white masses along roadsides. 
 
 235
 
 NEW ENGLAND ASTER (Purple Aster) 
 Aster novae-angliae L. 
 
 September -October Wlicn the deep pui-ple blossoms of New England 
 Roadsides, ditches luster blossom along the roads, then we know that 
 
 autumn is ripening to that point which calls a 
 halt to now flowers. Tins is the last and its color is ])orha])s a deeper hue 
 than any other purple llower since the violets bloonuHl. Xow in Septem- 
 ber and October, until heavy frosts, the New England asters grace the 
 countiyside. 
 
 Canada goldenrnd and Xow England aster are the ]iair which usually 
 are meant by poets and other writers when they speak of the llowers of 
 autumn. There are many asters and many goldenrods but of them all 
 these two are perhaps most gorgeous and most typical of both tribes. 
 In themselvos alono. th(\v embody autumn. TIere in concise and brilliant 
 form and color, autumn ])aints the landsiape and leads up to the climax 
 of color on the oaks. 
 
 New England aster has t<ill leafy stalks which bend, wandlike, in 
 all directions from the root. The stalks are two to six feet tall, densely 
 downy-hairy, set with short, sessile leaves. Only the upper part of the 
 stalk branches. Up there it sends forth many short, thin stems on which 
 are flowers which may vary in color from rich l)luo-pur]ile through the 
 re<l-purples, to ])ink and white, though the latter is rarest. Xow England 
 aster has been taken into the gardens and has been developed somewhat 
 to fonn new and acct^ptable colors in greater abundance of bloom than 
 even along the roadsides. Yet here beside the autumn road, the bright 
 color of Xew England asters is incomparable against the background of 
 the waning year. 
 
 236
 
 SUGGESTED REFERENCES 
 
 Deam. Charles C. Flora of Indiana. Department of Conservation, Indian- 
 apolis, Indiana. 1940. 
 
 ElFERT, Virginia S. Floicers That Bloom in the 8pring. Illinois State Museum, 
 Springfield. 1951. 
 
 Fernald, M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co., New York. 
 Eighth Edition, 1950. 
 
 HAUSMA^^ Ethel H. Thr Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Wild Floicers. 
 Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., Garden City, N. Y. 1947. 
 
 House, Homer D. Wild Floicers. Macmillan Co., New York. 1934. 
 
 Illinois Natural History Survey. Manual 1. Field Book of Illinois Wild 
 Floicers. Urbana, 111. 1938. 
 
 Jones, G. NE\^LLE. Flora of Iirniois. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre 
 Dame, Indiana. Second Edition, 1950. 
 
 Jones, G. Neville and Fuller, George D. Vascular Plants of Illinois. Illinois 
 Stat© Museum, Springfield. 1955. 
 
 Matthews, F. S. Field Book of American Trees and Shrubs. G. P. Putnam's 
 Sons, New York. 1915. 
 
 Field Book of American Wild Flowers. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New 
 
 York. 1927. 
 
 MoHLENHRocK. R. H. ANI1 VoiGT. J. W. A Flora of Sotithern Illinois. Southern 
 Illinois University, Carbondale, 111., 1959. 
 
 Moldenke, Harold N. American Wild Flowers. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 
 New York. 1949. 
 
 Pepoon, H. S. An Annotated Flora of the Chicago Region. Chicago Academy 
 of Sciences, Chicago. 1927. 
 
 Rydberg, p. a. Flora of the Prairies and Plains of Central North America. 
 New York Botanical Garden, New York. 1932. 
 
 Steyermark, J. A. Spring Flora of Missouri. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. 
 Louis. 1940. 
 
 Tehon, Leo R. Field Book of Native Illinois Shrubs. Manual 3. Illinois 
 Natural History Sui'vey, Urbana, 111. 1942. 
 
 Wherry, Edgar T. Wild Flower Guide. Doubleday and Co., Inc., Garden City, 
 N. Y. 1948. 
 
 237
 
 CHECK LIST OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES 
 
 By Families According to 
 FLORA OF ILLINOIS 
 
 By George Neville Jones 
 
 2nd. ed. 1950 
 
 (Those marked * are illustrated.) 
 
 SPARGANIACEAE (Bur-reed Family) 
 
 * Sixntiiniii'iii iiiiticiirpuni Engelin. (Rur-reed) pa^e 9n. 
 
 ALISMACEAE (Water Plantain Family) 
 
 * Sdtiittdiia hififoUii Willd. (Arrowhead) page 197. 
 
 CYPERACEAE (Sedge Family) 
 
 * Ctirt'x i>r)nis-i/lv(tui<(i Lam. (Spring Sedge) page 3. 
 
 ARACEAE (Arum Family) 
 
 * Ari.sdciiia IriiihjilliDii (L.) Schott (Jack-in-t he-Pulpit ) page 70. 
 
 * Arisar^ma dracoutiinn (L.) Schott (Green Dragon) page 71. 
 
 * Siniiitlociirpii.s fDclidii.s (L.) Nutt. (Skunk Cabbage) page 1. 
 
 * Acorns (■(ihimit.s L. (Calamus) page 59. 
 
 COMMELINACEAE (Spiderwort Family) 
 
 * Tradf scant m ohiensis Raf. (Spiderwort) page 114. 
 Tnulcscmitid rinjiuidiiii L. (Spiderwort) page 114. 
 Tradcficiiiitid .suhd-sitcrd Ker (Spiderwort) page 114. 
 
 PONTEnERIACEAE ( Piikerelweed Family) 
 
 * I'diitcdrrid cordutu L. (Pickerelweed) page 196. 
 
 LILIACEAE (Lily Family) 
 
 * Allium canadcnsc L. (Wild Garlit) page 113. 
 
 * Lilimn iimhcllalti))! Pitr.sh (Wood Lily) page 12.5. 
 
 * lAlium i>iichi<i<i)iriisc Fanr. (Turk'.s Cap Lily) page 126. 
 
 * K rift h rout 11)11 dlliidiiin Nutt. (White Trdut Lily) page 11. 
 
 * Kri/tlironiitnt (inirricdniitn Ker (YtMlow .Vdder's Tongue) page 12. 
 
 * Cdinds.sid scillioidrs (Raf.) Cory (Wild Hyacinth) page 85. 
 
 * Uvularia (jrandijlora Sm. (Greater Bellwort) page 19. 
 
 * f^mildcina rdcrmosa (L.) Desf. ( False Spikenard) page 73. 
 
 * Suiildciiid stilldtd (L.) Desf. (Fal.se Solomon's Seal) page 74. 
 
 * t'olinjoiKil II HI hitloniiii (Walt.) Ell. (Solomcni's Seal) page 75. 
 
 * Trillunn niiimit inii Beck (Red Trillium) page 43. 
 
 * Trillium (flrasoui Fern. (Nodding Trillium) page 45. 
 
 * Trillium (iraudiflorum (Michx.) Salisb. (Great White Trillium) page 44. 
 
 * Trillium iiinilr Riddell (Snow Trillium) page 2. 
 
 * Siiiild.r Id.sioniiirnii Hook. (Carrion Flower) page 134. 
 
 * Siiiildx hisiiidii Mulil. (Greenbrier) page 133. 
 
 DIOSCOREACEAE (Yam Family) 
 
 * Dioscorcii villosa L. (Wild Yam) page 132. 
 
 AMAKYLLIDACEAE (Amaryllis Family) 
 
 * Hi/imxi.s hirsuta (L.) Coville (Yellow Star Grass) page 52. 
 
 IRIDACEAE (Iris P^amily) 
 
 * Iris shrcrci Small (Wild Blue Iris) page 112. 
 
 238
 
 ORCHIDACEAE (Orchid Family) 
 
 * Cijpripedium jxirv'fionim Salisb. (Yellow Lady's Slipper) page 110. 
 
 * Cypripediuni candid urn Muhl. (White Lady's Slipper) page 109. 
 
 * Ci/pripediuvh reginae Walt. (Showy Lady's Slipper) page 111. 
 
 * Orchis spectahiJis L. (Showy Orchis) page 46. 
 
 * Hiibt'miria bnictrata (Muhl.) R. Br. (Long-bracted Orchid) page 108. 
 
 * Spiranthcs cernua (L.) Rich. (Nodding Ladies' Tresses) page 223. 
 
 * Liparis lilifolia (L.) Rich. (Greater Twayblade) page 106. 
 "^ Liparis loesclii (L.) Rich. (Loesel's Twayblade) page 107. 
 
 SAURURACEAE (Lizard-tail Family) 
 
 * Saunirus cenmits L. (Lizard-tail) page 201. 
 
 SANTALACEAE (Sandalwood Family) 
 *Comandra umbellata (L.) Nutt. (Bastard Toadflax) page 38. 
 
 LORANTHACEAE (Mistletoe Family) 
 
 * Plionidendron flavescens (Pursh) Nutt. (Mistletoe) page 131. 
 
 ARISTOLOCHIACEAE (Birthwort Family) 
 
 * Asarum reflcxum Bickn. (Wild Ginger) page 37. 
 
 POLYGONACEAE (Buckwheat Family) 
 
 * Riimex acetosella Li. (Sheep Sorrel) page 145. 
 
 PHYTOLACCACEAE (Pokeweed Family) 
 
 * Phytolacca americana L. (Pokeweed) page 146. 
 
 NYCTAGINACEAE (Four-o'clock Family) 
 
 * MiraMlis nyctaginea (Michx.) MacM. (Umbrellawort) page 147. 
 
 PORTULACACEAE (Purslane Family) 
 
 * Claytonia virginica L. (Spring Beauty) page 10. 
 
 CARYOPHYLLACEAE (Pink Family) 
 
 * /S'i/f'/r' ciici(hnj)is Wibel (Bladder Campion) page 1.57. 
 
 * Silene stellata (L.) Ait. (Starry Campion) page 212. 
 
 * Silene antirrhina L. (Sleepy Catchfly) page 156. 
 
 ANNONOCEAE (Custard-apple Family) 
 
 * Asimina triloha (L.) Dunal. (Pawpaw) page 28. 
 
 RANUNCULACEAE (Crowfoot Family) 
 
 * RanKnculiis trichophyUus Chaix. (White Watei- Crowfoot) page 195. 
 
 * Ronitnculus nhortirus L. (Small-flowered Buttercup) page 50. 
 
 * Ranunculus septentrionaUs Poir. (Swamp Buttercup) page 23. 
 Ranunculus fascicularis Muhl. (Early Crowfoot) page 23. 
 Thalictrum dioicum L. (Early Meadow-rue) page 158. 
 
 * Thalictrum revolutuni Muhl. (Tall Meadow-rue) page 158. 
 
 * Ancmonella thalictroidcs (L.) Spach. (Rue-anemone) page 20. 
 
 * Hrpatica acutilobaVC. (Hepatica) page 21. 
 
 * Anemone caroliniana Walt. (Carolina Anemone) page 22. 
 
 * Anemone cylindrica Gray (Thimbleweed) page 120. 
 
 * Anemone virginiana h. (Tall Anemone) page 119. 
 
 * Anenhone canddrnsis J.,. (Prairie Anemone) page 118. 
 
 * AnC7none quinquefoUa L. (Wood Anemone) page 18. 
 Clenuitis virgin.iana L. (Virgin's Bowei) page 124. 
 
 * Clematis pitcheri T. & G. (Leather-flower) page 124. 
 
 * Isopiirum hitcrnatiiin (Raf.) T. & G. (Falpe Rue-anemone) page 17. 
 
 * Caltha i>iiUistris L,. (Marsh-marigold) page 15. 
 
 * Aquilcgia canadensis L. (Wild Columbine) page 87. 
 
 * Delphinium tricorne Michx. (Wild Larkspur) page 42. 
 
 * Actaea alba (L.) Mill. (White Baneberry) page 36. 
 Act<iea nibra (Ait.) Willd. (Red Baneberry) page 36. 
 
 * Hydrastis rduddinsis L. (Goldenseal) page 35. 
 
 239
 
 NYMPHAECEAE ( Wateilily Family) 
 
 * Nehnnbo liitnt (Willd.) Peis. (Lotus) page 203. 
 
 BEHBERIDACEAE (Barbeiry Family) 
 
 * I'odophulJinii iH-lliihnn L. (Mayapple) pajje r>6. 
 Jrffrr.soiiid (liiihi/llii ( L. ) Pers. (Twinltaf) paj^e 41. 
 
 * ('(iiilophi/llii III llnilicl roiilc.s (L.) Michx. (Blue Cohosh) page 6' 
 
 * 
 
 MENISPERMACEAE (Moonseed Family) 
 
 * M mis per mum ciniadcufir L. (Moonseed) page 135. 
 
 I'Al'AVERACEAE (Poppy Family) 
 
 * H(t7igiii)i(iri<i ((iiniih iisi.s L. ( Blnodroot ) page 9. 
 
 FUMARIACEAE (Fimiitory Family) 
 
 * Dicrutrti cKctilldria (L.) Beinh. ( Dutchiiian's Bieeches) page 5. 
 
 * I)i(i-)itnt cdnddiii.si.s (Cloldie) Walp. ( Stiuiriel Coiii) page 6. 
 
 * Ci>rii,l<in.s rldnild (Kaf.) DC. (Golden Corydalis) page 104. 
 
 CRUCIFERAE (Mustard Family) 
 
 * Drahd rri>tdii.s (Lam.) Fein. (Carolina Whitlow Gra.ss) page 8. 
 
 * C<ii>.si-lla hiir.sd-iidslon.s (L.) Medic. (Shepherd's Purse) page 26. 
 
 * Dcsmniinia bnichijciirpa (Richards.) Schulz. (Tansy Mustard) page 24. 
 
 * Xdsiiirtiion officiiKilc R.Bi-. ( Watei" Cress) page l(i3. 
 Ddilxirrd nili/dii.s R. Br. (Winter Cress) page 24. 
 
 * Doitaria lacinidta Muhl. (Toothwort) page 25. 
 
 * Cdnldminc biilho.sd (Schieb.) BSP. (Spring Cress) page 49. 
 
 * Anibis ((nKKlcusiN Jj. (Sicklepod) page 140. 
 
 Aniliis Idrrii/dld (Muhl.) Poii-. (Smooth Rock Cress) page 140. 
 
 Ardbi.s li/idtd L. (Sand Cress) page 14(i. 
 
 Anihi.s- ririiiiiiiii ( L. ) I'oir. (Virginia Rock Cress) page 140. 
 
 SAXIFRAGACEAE (Saxifrage Family) 
 
 * Sd.rifrd(/d jirunsi/lnniica L. (Swamp Saxifiage) page 86. 
 
 * Hciichird richard.souii R.Br. (Alumroot) page 102. 
 
 * Mitrlhi diphyUa L. (Bishop's Cap) page 47. 
 
 GROSSULARIACEAE (Gooseberry Family) 
 
 * Ribes missmtriense Nutt. (Missouri Gooseberiy) page 33. 
 
 * 1'ibr.s <nnt'ricd)i)iui Mill. (Wild Black Cuiiant) page 34. 
 
 KOSACEAE (Rose Family) 
 
 * Annicus dioini.f (Walt.) Fern. (Goat's Beaid) page 136. 
 
 * Mdhfs idcu.sLs (Wood) Britt. (Wild Ciabapple) page ."i7. 
 
 * Aii>fld)i(liirr (irlxinii (Michx.) Fern. (Shadhush) page 27. 
 
 * J'otrulilld .siiiii>l<'-i' Michx. (Common Cin(iueroil) page 149. 
 
 * PntcutiUa rccla L. (Rough-tiuited Cinquefoil) page 150. 
 
 * FUipcudiild nibrd (Hill) Robins. (Que?n-of-t he-Prairie) page 204. 
 
 * (rciiiii ((iiiddriisf Jacq. (White Avens) page 144. 
 FriK/drid liriiiiiidiid Duch. (Wild Strawberry) page 88. 
 
 * Rtibiiti (iUr(ih(iiirii.sis Portei- (Wild Blackberry) page 148. 
 Roxd blandu Ait. (Smooth Wild Rose) page 151. 
 
 Ilofid .srii(jcr(t Miclix. (Climbing Rose) page 151. 
 
 * RiiNd cdroliuti L. (Pasture Rose) page 151. 
 I'niiiiifi (nnrricdUd Marsh. (Wild Red Plum) page 29. 
 
 * 
 
 LEGUMINOSAE (Pea Family) 
 
 * C<is.si<i fd.sciciildld Michx. (Partridge Pea) page 192. 
 C(is\id iiidrildiKlicd L. (Wild Senna) page lltj. 
 
 * Crrris (■(iiiddrii.si.s L. (Redbud) page 3(i. 
 
 * Bdiitifiid hucduihit T. iSi G. (White False Indigo) page 117. 
 
 * Lnpinus ix^rruiiis L. (Wild Lupine) page 83. 
 
 * Trifolititti rrpiu.s L. (White Clover) page 160. 
 Trilolhim imitriinr L. (Red Clovei) page 160. 
 Mrdirdi/n .sdtini L. (Alfalfa) pag^e 16(i. 
 
 * Melilotu.s alba Desr. (White Melilot) page 159. 
 
 * Prtdlostcmum pHrpitrctivi (Vent.) Rybd. (Pui-ple Prairie Clover) page 161.
 
 GERANIACEAE (Geranium Family) 
 
 * Geranium maculatum L. (Wild Geranium) page 72. 
 
 OXALIDACEAE (Wood-sorrel Family) 
 
 * Oxalis violacea L. (Violet Wood-sorrel) page 69. 
 
 * Oxalis stricta L. (Upright Yellow Wood-sorrel) page 68. 
 Oxalis cymosa Small (Common Wood-sorrel) page 68. 
 
 BALSAMINACEAE (Jewel-weed Family) 
 
 * Impatiens Uflora Walt. (Spotted Jewel-weed) page 121. 
 
 RUTACEAE (Rue Family) 
 
 * Zanthoxylum americannvi Mill. (Prickly Ash) page 31. 
 
 * Ptelca thfoliata L. (Hop Tree) page 115. 
 
 POLYGALACEAE (Milkwort Family) 
 
 * Poly gala senega L. (Seneca Snakeroot) page 105. 
 
 * Polygala sanguineaL,. (Field Milkwort) page 168. 
 
 CELASTRACEAE (Staff-tree Family) 
 
 * EKOiiymus atropurpurcus Jacq. (Wahoo) page 137. 
 
 * Celastrus scandfiu^ L. (Bittersweet) page 97. 
 
 ANACARDIACEAE (Sumac Family) 
 
 * Rhus glabra L. (Smooth Sumac) page 98. 
 
 * Rhus aromafica Ait. (Fragrant Sumac) page 4. 
 
 STAPHYLACEAE (Bladdernut Family) 
 
 * Staphylea trifoUa L. (Bladdernut) page 48. 
 
 RHAMNACEAE (Buckthorn Family) 
 
 * Ceanothus americanus L. (New Jersey Tea) page 189. 
 
 MALVACEAE (Mallow Family) 
 
 * Camrhoetriangulata (Leavenw.) Gray (Poppy Mallow) page 194. 
 
 * Napaea dioica L. (Glade Mallow) page 162. 
 
 * Hibiscus militaris Cav. (Halberd-leaved Mallow) page 200. 
 
 * Hibiscus lasiocarpus Cav. (Swamp Rose Mallow) page 200. 
 
 HYPERICACEAE (St. John's-wort Family) 
 
 * Hypericum sphaerocarpum Michx. (St. John's-wort) page 205. 
 Hypercium perforatum L. (Spotted St. John's-wort) page 205. 
 
 CISTACEAE (Rockrose Family) 
 
 * Helianthemum canade)ise (L.) Michx. (Frostweed) page 206. 
 
 VIOLACEAE (Violet Family) 
 
 * Hybanthus concolor (T. F. Forst.) Spreng. (Green Violet) page 60. 
 
 * Viola pedata L. (Bird-foot Violet) page 61. 
 
 Viola papilionacea Pursh (Common Blue Violet) page 63. 
 
 * Viola sororia Willd. (Hairy Blue Violet) page 63. 
 Viola c^icuUata Ait. (Marsh Blue Violet) page 63. 
 
 =■■= Viola fimbriatula Sm. (Ovate-leaved Violet) page 64. 
 
 * Viola pedatifida G. Don. (Prairie Violet) page 62. 
 
 * Viola lanceoluta L. (Lance-leaved Violet) page 65. 
 Viola striata Ait. (Pale Violet) page 65. 
 
 * Viola eriocarpa Schw. (Smooth Yellow Violet) page 66. 
 
 CACTACEAE (Cactus Family) 
 
 * Opuntia i-apiesquii Engelm. (Prickly-pear Cactus) page 187. 
 
 241
 
 OXAGIiACEAE (Evening Primrose Family) 
 
 * Oenothera biennis L. (Evening Primrose) page 184. 
 
 * Oenothera Uiciniadi Hill ( Laciniate Evening Primrose) page 191. 
 
 CORNACEAE (Dogwood Family) 
 
 * Cornus florida L. (Flowering Dogwood) page 54. 
 
 AKALIACEAE (Ginseng Family) 
 
 * Araliti )iii(lic(iulis L. (Wild Sarsaparilla) page 96. 
 
 UMBELLIFERAE (Parsley Family) 
 
 Vri/i>hiliirni(i ((inadmsis (L.) DC. (Hnnewoi-t) page 141. 
 
 * Saniciilit itxtriUindii-a L. (Black Snakeroul) i)age loX. 
 
 * Chacroiihi/IUoii pnxinnhois (L.) Crantz (Spieading Chervil) page 32. 
 
 * Eriinnia bitlhosa ( Micli.x.) Nutt. (Harbinger-ot'-Spring) page 16. 
 
 * Osmorhizalon(iistyUs (Torr.) DC. (Sweet Cicely) page 116. 
 
 * Zizid aitrca. (L.) Koch (Golden-alexanders) page 95. 
 
 * Ciciitd nuicuUittt L. (Water Hemlock) page IftS. 
 
 * Taciiidid intrdi'rrinni (L.) Driide. (Yellow Pimpernel) page 94. 
 *• AntjcUca atropiirpurcd L. (Angelica) page 93. 
 
 * Pa^'itinaca sativa h. (Wild Parsnip) page 182. 
 
 * Hcraclenm. Uinatiini Michx. (Cow Parsnip) page 181. 
 
 * Dducus cdrotd L. (Wild Carrot) page 167. 
 
 ERICACEAE (Heath Family) 
 
 * MonotroiMi nnijlani L. (Indian Pipe) page 216. 
 
 PRIMULACEAE (Primrose Family) 
 
 * Dodf'cdfhron )H('d<N(i L. (Shooting-star) page 76. 
 
 * Ly.simdchia cilidtd L. (Fringed Loosestrife) page 211. 
 
 APOCYNACEAE (Dogbane Family) 
 
 * Amso)iia fdhrriidcvioiitdnd Walt. (Willow Amsonia) page 123. 
 
 * Apori/inmi cdinidbiiiitin L. (Spreading Dogbane) page 122. 
 
 ASCLEPIADACEAE (Milkweed Family) 
 
 * Asclriddfi tiibcro.s-d L. (Orange Butterfly Weed) page 193. 
 
 * Asclepias iiirdniata L. (Swamp .Milkweed) page 202. 
 
 * Aschpia.s s-iiUivaiitii Engelm. (SuUivant's Milkweed) page 179. 
 
 * Aselepias fujriaca L. (Common Milkweed) page 178. 
 
 * Asclepia.s- aniplrxicaitU.s Sm. (Blunt-leaved Milkweed) page 180. 
 
 * Aschpid.s idn/tiddccoidr.s I'uish (Poke Milk\ve»?d) page 180. 
 Aceratr.s riridjloni (RaT.) Eaton (Green Milkweed) page 180. 
 
 CONVOLVULACEAE (Bindweed Family) 
 
 * Convolvulus .spithamrii.s L. (Upright Bindweed) page 163. 
 ConvdlviiliiN inncricdiiiis (Sims) Greene (American Bindweed) page 163. 
 
 * Convolvnliis arvrusis L. (Field Bindweed) page 207. 
 
 * Ipomocd panduratd (L.) Mey. (Man-ol-the-Earth) page 208. 
 
 * Citseuta Sp. (Dodder) page 209. 
 
 l't)Li:M0MAC'EAE (Phlox Family) 
 
 * Polenionium reptans L. (Greek Valerian) page 58. 
 
 * Phlox bifida Beck (Cleft Phlox) page 40. 
 
 * Phlox ditHivicat<i L. (Wild Blue Phlox) page 39. 
 
 * Phlox pilosa L. (Prairie Phlox) page 77. 
 
 HYDROPHYLLACEAE (Waterleaf Family) 
 
 * Hydrophyllum virginianum L. (Virginia Waterleaf) page 101. 
 
 * Hydrophyllum appcndiculatumM\chx. (Appendaged Waterleaf) page 100. 
 
 * ElUsia nyctclea L. (Ellisia) page 92. 
 
 243
 
 BORAGINACEAE (Borage Family) 
 
 Lithospermiim canescens (Michx.) Lehm. (Hoary Puccocm) page 51. 
 
 * Lithospermuni angustifoUinn Michx. (Narrow-leaved Puccoon) page 51. 
 
 * Meitensia virginica (L.) Pers. (Bluebells) page 55. 
 
 VERBENACEAE (Verbena Family) 
 
 Verbena urticifolia L,. (White Vervain) page 177. 
 Verbena hastata L. (Blue Vervain) page 177. 
 
 * Verbena stricta Vent. (Hoary Vervain) page 177. 
 
 Verbena simplex Michx. (Narrow-leaved Vei'vain) page 177. 
 
 * Phyla lanceolata (Michx.) Greene (Fog-Fruit) page 176. 
 
 LABIATAE (Mint Family) 
 
 * Teucrium canadense L. (American Germander) page 175. 
 
 * Scutellaria ovata Hill. (Heart-leaved Skullcap) page 214. 
 Scutellaria Jaterifiora L. (Mad-dog Skullcap) page 214. 
 Scutellaria parvula Michx. (Small Skullcap) page 214. 
 Glecoma heterophijUa Wald.st. & Kit. (Ground-ivy) page 53. 
 
 * Nepeta cataria L. (Catnip) page 130. 
 
 * Prunella rulgari.s L. (Self-heal) page 164. 
 
 * Leomirus cardiaca L. (Motherwort) page 165. 
 
 '^ Stachys temiifolia Willd. (Hedge Nettie) page 174. 
 
 * Monarda fistulosa L. (Wild Bergamot) page 185. 
 
 * Hedeoma hi.spida Pursh (Rough Pennyroyal) page 213. 
 Hedeoma pulegioides (L.) Pers. (American Pennyroyal) page 213. 
 
 SOLANACEAE (Nightshade Family) 
 
 * Solanum carolineiise h. (Horse-nettle) page 183. 
 Solanum rostratum Dunal (Bui^alo-bur) page 183. 
 
 SCROPHULARIACEAE (Figwort Family) 
 
 * Verbascum thapsus L. (Great Mullein) page 172. 
 
 * Verbascum blattaria L. (Moth Mullein) page 173. 
 
 * Linaria vtilgaris Hill (Butter-and-eggs) page 171. 
 
 * Collin sia verna Nutt. (Blue-eyed Mary) page 84. 
 CoUinsia violacea Nutt. (Violet Collinsia) page 84. 
 Penstem.on pallid ns Small (Pale Penstemon) page 139. 
 Penstemon digitalis Nutt. (Foxglove Penstemon) page 139. 
 
 "^Penstemon hirsutus (L.) Willd. (Hairy Penstemon) page 139. 
 
 * Dasistoma macro phylla (Nutt.) Raf. (Mullein Foxglove) page 218. 
 
 * Aureolaria grandiflora (Benth.) Pennell (Downy False Foxglove) page 219. 
 
 * Castilleja coccinea (L.) Spreng. (Indian Paintbrush) page 80. 
 
 * Pedicularis canadensis L. (Wood Betony) page 78. 
 Pedicularis lanceolata Michx. (Lance-leaved Betony) page 78. 
 
 * Synthyris huUii (Eaton) Heller (Kitten-tails) page 99. 
 
 OROBANCHACEAE (Broomrape Family) 
 
 * Orobanchr fasciculata Nutt. (Broomrape) page 82. 
 
 * Orobanche uniflora L. (One-flowered Cancer-root) page 81. 
 
 BIGNONIACEAE (Trumpet-creeper Family) 
 
 * Camps is radicaii-s (L.) Seem. (Trumpet-vine) page 210. 
 
 ACANTHACEAE (Acanthus Family) 
 
 Ruellia strepens L. (Smooth Ruellia) page 190. 
 
 * Ruellia humilis Nutt. (Hairy Ruellia) page 190. 
 
 PLANTAGINACEAE (Plantain Family) 
 
 * Plantago lanceolata L.. (English Plantain) page 129. 
 
 * Plantago virginica L. (Small Plantain) page 129. 
 
 243
 
 KLJJIACEAE (Madder Family) 
 
 * Galium nixirinc L. (Cleavers) page 127. 
 
 Galium circaezans Michx. (Wild Licorice) page 128. 
 
 * Galium trifidum L. (Small Bedstraw) page 128. 
 
 * Ccitlinhiuthia occidciitalifi L. (Biittonhu.sh) page 199. 
 
 * Hdii.sldiiid iniuitiKi Beck (Small Bluets) page 7. 
 Huusdnnn loiif/ifnlia Gaeitii. (Long-leaved Houstonia) page 7. 
 Houstonia jni.silla Schoepf (Star-violet) page 7. 
 
 CAPRIFOLIACEAE (Honeysuckle Family) 
 
 Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Japanese Honeysuckle) page 91. 
 
 * Lonicrra prolifcni (Kirchn.) Relui. (Glaucous Honeysuckle) page 91. 
 Lonicera .scmpcriircns L. (Coral Honeysuckle) page lil. 
 
 * Trio.stf'um perfoliatum L. (Horse-gentian) page 170. 
 
 * Sauibucu.s raiKuJrn.siN L. (Elderberry) page IfiG. 
 
 CAMPANULACEAE (Bellflower Family) 
 
 * Specula ria pcrfoliata (L.) A. DC. (Venus's Looking Glass) page 155. 
 
 * Cumpanuhi (imericdiid L. (American Bellflower) page 217. 
 Cdmpiitiuht iiitirccdrns Wita.sek (Harebell) page 217. 
 CdmiHinula aixirinoides Puvsh (Marsh Bellflower) page 217. 
 
 LOBELIACEAE (Lobelia Family) 
 
 Lobelia cardlnalis L. (Cardinal Flowei) page 220. 
 
 * Lohclid siphiliticd L. (Great Blue Lobelia) page 220. 
 
 COMPOSITAE (Composite Family) 
 
 * Eu}idtoriinn purpiircuni L. (Joe-pye Weed) page 221. 
 
 * EuiHitorium rufiosuni Houtt. (White Snakeroot) page 222. 
 Eupdtoriuui pcrfoliatinii L. (Bone.set) page 222. 
 Eupatorium .•icrotinuvi Michx. (Late Boneset) page 222. 
 Eupdtnrium corlrstinum L. (Blue Mist-flower) page 222. 
 
 * Lidtris ftiiinostdchiid Michx. (Gayfeather) page 228. 
 
 * ('/i/)/.so/w),v (■i7/o.vr/ (Pursh) Nutt. (Gnlden-astor) page 188. 
 
 * SoUddijo ulmifolid Muhl. (Elm-leaved Goldenrod) page 234. 
 
 * Solidago oltissima L. (Tall Goldenrod) page 233. 
 
 * SolidiKjo riiiidd L. (Stiff Goldenrod) page 234. 
 Aster itovdc-diidlidc L. (New England Aster) page 236. 
 
 * Aster pilosus W'iUd. (Heath Aster) page 235. 
 Aster trddr.scd lit i L. (Tradescant's Aster) page 235. 
 Aster niultifiorus (Many-flowered Aster) page 235. 
 Chrifsdiithi'itnnn h'ucdnthi)uiiin L. (Common Daisy) page 153. 
 
 * Eridcnm innuiiis (L.) Pers. (Whitetop) page 143. 
 Eriycroii phihidilphiiUN L. ( Pliiladelphia Fleahane) page 143. 
 Eriijcron .stri[/n.su.s Muiil. (Daisy Fleabane) page 143. 
 Gdlinsofid cilidtd (Raf.) Blake (Peruvian Daisy) page 169. 
 
 * Ant<-»iidrid phnilddiufdlid (L.) Hook. (Pussy Toes) page 13. 
 
 * Silphhtin liirliiiithindiiinn Jac(i. ( Praii ie Dock) page 232. 
 
 * Silphium Idciiiidtum L. (Rosin Weed) page 231. 
 
 * Jiudbcckixi hirtd L. (Black-eyed Susan) page 142. 
 Rudbcckid trilobd L. (Biown-eyed Susan) page 142. 
 Brnuuirid inirpurcd (L.) Britt. (Purple Coneflowtn) page 215. 
 lirnuurrid pdUidd (Nutt.) Britt. ( Pale Coneflower) page 215. 
 Rdtibidd piutidtd (Vent.) Barnh. ( Prairie Coneflower) page 227. 
 Hdtibida columiiifrni (Nutt.) W. & S. (Columnar Coneflower) page 22' 
 
 * Hrlianthus aiiuuus L. (Common Sunflower) iKige 225. 
 H'lidttthus divdricdtu-s L. (Woodland Sunflower) page 226. 
 
 * Hilidiithus molli.s Lam. (Hairy Sunflower) page 226. 
 
 * Hrliduthus gro.tsr.srrnit IIS 'Marteni=. (Giant Sunflower) page 226. 
 
 * Corroi)sis Idmroldtd L. (Tickseed) page 186. 
 Coreopsis iHilmatd Nutt. (Palmate Tickseed) page 186. 
 
 * Bideiwi (iri.stosa (Michx.) Britt. (Beggar-ticks) i>age 224. 
 
 * Achillea millefolium L. (Yarrow) page 154. 
 
 * Authcmis cotula Ij. (Mayweed) page 153. 
 
 * iicn^cio aureus L. (Golden Ragwort) page 79. 
 
 244 
 
 4: 
 
 *
 
 * Cirsium discolor (Muhl.) Spreng. (Field Thistle) page 230. 
 
 * CirsiumhilUi (Canby) Fern. (Hill's Thistle) page 229. 
 CirsiumvuUjare (Savi) Airy-Shaw (Bull Thistle) page 229. 
 
 * Krigia Mfloni (Walt.) Blake (Dwarf False Dandelion) page 89. 
 
 * Krigia virginica (L.) Willd. (Carolina Dwarf Dandelion) page 89. 
 
 * Taraxacum officinale Weber (Common Dandelion) page 14. 
 
 * Tragopogon dtihius Scop. (Salsify) page 152. 
 Tragopogon porrifoliit.s- h. (Oyster Plant) page 152. 
 Trugopogon pratenais L. (Yellow Goat's-beard) page 152. 
 
 245
 
 INDEX 
 
 Accrates viridi^Ujra 18u 
 
 ArhiUra mUlcfoliinn 154 
 
 Acorns ciihiin us 59 
 
 Actaea alba 36 
 
 Actdi'ii riibni 36 
 
 Adder's Tonf^ue 11, 12 
 
 Alexanders, Golden 95 
 
 Allalfa 160 
 
 AUinm canaden^e 113 
 
 Alnnuiiot I(i2 
 
 Atiiildiichifr ttrhond 27 
 
 AmsoiiUi tdhrrnacmontamt 123 
 
 Amsonia, Willow 123 
 
 Atirinoiir <(i)i(idc)isis 118 
 
 cnrdliiiidiKi 22 
 
 rijliiidricd 120 
 
 (jiiiuQurfoUd 18 
 
 rirfiinidtid 119 
 
 Anemone, Canada 118 
 
 Carolina 22 
 
 Fals.e Rue 17 
 
 Prairie 118 
 
 Rue 20 
 
 Tall 119 
 
 Wood 18 
 
 Aiiiiiioiirlld titdlictroidrs 20 
 
 Anyrlica at ro purpurea 93 
 
 Anselica, Puiple 93 
 
 AuUtinitrid pUnitd(jinifo]id 13 
 
 Anthfuiis cntiihi 153 
 
 Ap(Jii/nu)n (■dU)idbiHuni 122 
 
 AguUrgia camidnisis 87 
 
 Arahi.s cdiiddrii.sis 14(i 
 
 Idirii/iitd 1 10 
 
 h/rdid 140 
 
 rirginicd 140 
 
 Aralid iiudtcaulis 96 
 
 Arisacvid dracoutium 71 
 
 t ripln/lhon- 70 
 
 Arrowhead 197 
 
 Arum, Dragon 71 
 
 Aruucus di(ji<)(s 136 
 
 Asdrum r<'fl<\ru)ii 37 
 
 Asclci)ids din pli'TicduUs 180 
 
 i)icdrndld 202 
 
 idii/tdldii-oidcs 180 
 
 sullivdiitii 179 
 
 si/ridcd 178 
 
 liilicro.sd 193 
 
 riridijlord 180 
 
 Ash. Pritkly 30 
 
 Wafer 115 
 
 Asimiud trilohii 28 
 
 Astrr 1)1 ullillorus 235 
 
 iiordc-diigUiir 236 
 
 pilnsus 235 
 
 tnidiscdnti 235 
 
 Aster, Frost 235 
 
 Heath 235 
 
 New England 236 
 
 Tradescant's 235 
 
 Aurcolarin grandijlora 219 
 
 Avens, White 144 
 
 246
 
 Baby Blue Eyes 84 
 
 Banebeny, White 36 
 
 Red 36 
 
 Baptisia leucantha 117 
 
 Barbarca vulgaris 24 
 
 Beard Tongue 139 
 
 Bedstraw, Rough 127 
 
 Small 128 
 
 Beggar-ticks 224 
 
 Bellflower, American 217 
 
 Marsh 217 
 
 Bellwort, Greater 19 
 
 Bergamot, Wild 185 
 
 Betony, Wood 78 
 
 Bidens aristosa 224 
 
 Bindweed, Field 207 
 
 Upright 163 
 
 Bishop's-cap 47 
 
 Bittersweet 97 
 
 Blackbeny, Wild 148 
 
 Black-eyed Susan 142 
 
 Bladder Campion 157 
 
 Bladdernut, American 48 
 
 Blazing Star 228 
 
 Bloodroot 9 
 
 Bluebells 58 
 
 Virginia 55 
 
 Blue-eyed Mary 84 
 
 Bluets 7 
 
 Boneset 222 
 
 Boneset, Late 222 
 
 Boys and Girls 5 
 
 Brauneria pallida 215 
 
 purpurea 215 
 
 Broomrape 82 
 
 Brown-eyed Susan 142 
 
 Buffalo-bur 183 
 
 Bur-reed 90 
 
 Butter-and-eggs 171 
 
 Buttercup, Small-flowered 50 
 
 Swamp 23 
 
 Butterfly Weed 193 
 
 Buttonbush 199 
 
 Cactus, Prickly-pear 187 
 
 Calamus 59 
 
 Callirhoe triangulata 194 
 
 Caltha palustris 15 
 
 Camassia scilHoides 85 
 
 Campanula amcricana 217 
 
 aparinoides 217 
 
 intcrcedens 217 
 
 Campion, Bladder 157 
 
 Starry 212 
 
 Campsis radicans 210 
 
 Cancer-root, One-flowered 81 
 
 Capsella bursa-pastoris 26 
 
 Cardaniinc bulbosa 49 
 
 Cardinal Flower 220 
 
 Carcx pemm/lvanica 3 
 
 Carrion Flower 134 
 
 Carrot, Wild 167 
 
 Cassia fascicnlata 192 
 
 marilandica 192 
 
 Castilleja coccinea 80 
 
 Catchfly, Sleepy 156 
 
 Catnip 130 
 
 Caulophylluni thalictroides 67 
 
 Ceanothus americamis 189 
 
 247
 
 ('rl(ts-tn(s fir(t)i(lrii.s 97 
 
 Ccphaldnth ».v ucculrittdli.s 199 
 
 Cercis canadfiisLs 30 
 
 CharrnphuUnm jnoriniihi'tt.s 32 
 
 niei\ il. Wild 32 
 
 <'liiii(|u;ii)iii 203 
 
 ('liri/sinithciiiiiiii li'iictiiilhiiinim 153 
 
 Chri/.sops-is- riUo.sd 188 
 
 Cicely, Sweet 116 
 
 Cicutd nidiiilula 198 
 
 Cinquefoll, Coiiiiikhi 149 
 
 KouKli-riuit2(i 150 
 
 Cirsium discolor 230 
 
 hillii 229 
 
 vuUjdic 229 
 
 Cldi/tonia lirgiuica 10 
 
 CMea\ eis 127 
 
 Clematis 124 
 
 Clematis pitvhcri 124 
 
 rir(jiiiidiid 124 
 
 Clover, Prairie 161 
 
 Red 160 
 
 Sweet 159 
 
 White 160 
 
 Coffee, Wild 170 
 
 Cohosh, Blue 67 
 
 Collin.sid reiiid 84 
 
 rloldccd 84 
 
 Coluiuhine, Wild 87 
 
 i'otitdudiit iniil/illuld 38 
 
 Comandra 38 
 
 Compass Plant 231 
 
 Coneflower, Columnar 227 
 
 Pale 215 
 
 Prai rie 227 
 
 Purple 215 
 
 Thin-leaved 142 
 
 Yellow 227 
 
 Conrolnilii.s drrcu-sis 207 
 
 spithdnirit.s 163 
 
 Coreopsis 186 
 
 Conojisi-s Iducroldtd 186 
 
 ixiliiititd 186 
 
 ('or)ii(.s Jioridd 54 
 
 Con/ddlis jUintla 104 
 
 Corydalis, Golden 104 
 
 Cowslip, American 15 
 
 Vir.uinian 55 
 
 Crahapple, \\ ild 57 
 
 Cranesbill, Wild 72 
 
 Cress, Spring 4!' 
 
 Water li'S 
 
 Winter 24 
 
 Crinkleroot 25 
 
 Crowfoot, Common Wliit3 Water 195 
 
 Early 23 
 
 Criiptofdriiid fdiiddrii.si.s 141 
 
 Currant, Wild Black 34 
 
 Viiscutd sp 209 
 
 CypriiKdiinn cditdidiiiii 109 
 
 pdrrifloiKin 110 
 
 rvgiiKtr Ill 
 
 Daisy, Common 153 
 
 Daisy, Peruvian 169 
 
 Dandelion, Carolina Dwarf 89 
 
 Common 14 
 
 Dwarf False 89 
 
 Diisistonia macrophi/lhi 218
 
 Da iiciis CO rot a 167 
 
 Delphiniiini tricorne 42 
 
 Dcutaria laciniata 25 
 
 Descuruiulu hrachijcarpa 24 
 
 Dicentra cdnadensis 6 
 
 CKCuUaria 5 
 
 Dioscorea villosa 132 
 
 Dock, Prairie 232 
 
 Dodder 209 
 
 Dodecatheoii meadia 76 
 
 Dog Fennel 153 
 
 Dogtooth Violet 11 
 
 Dogwood, Flowering 54 
 
 Doll's Eyes 36 
 
 Draba reptans 8 
 
 Dragon Arum 71 
 
 Dutchman's Breeches 5 
 
 Elderberry ; 166 
 
 EUisia 92 
 
 EUisUi nyctelca 92 
 
 Eriycnia bulbosa 16 
 
 Erigeroti sp 143 
 
 cn}}}uns 143 
 
 philadelphicns 143 
 
 strigosus 143 
 
 Enjthroiiium albidum 11 
 
 americanum 12 
 
 Eupatonim coelestinum 222 
 
 perfoliatum 222 
 
 piirpurcitm 221 
 
 ntgosu m 222 
 
 serotiniim 222 
 
 Evening Primrose, Common 184 
 
 Laciniate-leaved 191 
 
 Euoin/))) us atropnrpureus 137 
 
 False Foxglove 219 
 
 Indigo 117 
 
 Rue Anemone 17 
 
 Solomon's Seal 74 
 
 Spikenard 73 
 
 Feverwort 170 
 
 FiUpoidnhi rubra 204 
 
 Flag, Blue 112 
 
 Sweet 59 
 
 Fleabane, Daisy 143 
 
 Fog-fruit 176 
 
 Fort Creve Coeur 35 
 
 Foxglove, False 219 
 
 Mullein 218 
 
 Fragaria virginiana 88 
 
 Frostweed 206 
 
 Galinsoga 169 
 
 Galinsoga ciliata 169 
 
 GdliiDH aparine 127 
 
 ciraezans 128 
 
 trifiditm 128 
 
 Garlic, Wild 113 
 
 Gayfeather 228 
 
 Geranium maculatum 72 
 
 Geranium, Wild 72 
 
 Germander, American 175 
 
 G<'u m cauadoise 144 
 
 Gill-over-t he-ground 53 
 
 Ginger, Wild 37 
 
 Glade Mallow 162 
 
 249
 
 Gil 1 1)11111 hi li iijjihylld 53 
 
 Goat's-beard 136 
 
 Yellow 152 
 
 Golden-alexaiulers 95 
 
 Golden-aster 188 
 
 Goldenseal 35 
 
 Goldeniod, Canada 233 
 
 Elm-leaved 234 
 
 Stiff 234 
 
 Tall 233 
 
 Gooseberry, Missouri 33 
 
 Greek Valerian 58 
 
 Gr«en Drajjon 71 
 
 Violet 60 
 
 Greenbrier 133 
 
 Ground-ivy 53 
 
 Huhcudtiii hriK Iriitn 108 
 
 Harbinfier-of-Sprinj; 16 
 
 Harebell 217 
 
 Heal-All 164 
 
 Hcdi'iJiiiii li i.si>iil<i 213 
 
 inilrfiioidcs 213 
 
 Hedfie Nettle 174 
 
 HrliiniUiriniiiii (inindciiNc 2it6 
 
 Hi'liuiiHiiis iDiniiii.s 225 
 
 (liidiiciitii.s 226 
 
 (frofisr.srrnitii.s 226 
 
 inolli.s 226 
 
 Hemlock, Water 198 
 
 Hemp, Indian 122 
 
 Hepat ica 21 
 
 Hiliiilicd dciitilobd 21 
 
 HrnicliKDi ld)i(ilii)t> 181 
 
 Hciichrni richdid.'n^iiii 1(»2 
 
 Hibiscus- militdhfi 200 
 
 ldsiordri>us 200 
 
 Honewort 141 
 
 Honeysuckle, Glaucus 91 
 
 Coral 91 
 
 Japanese 91 
 
 Hop Tree 115 
 
 Horse-sentian 170 
 
 Horse-nettle 183 
 
 Houstuiuu cocnilrd 7 
 
 longifulid 7 
 
 mini Did 7 
 
 imsilld 7 
 
 Hyafintb, Wild 85 
 
 H !/l)diitliiis coiiculur 60 
 
 Hi/drdstis cdrntdoi-'ds 35 
 
 Hi/droidi 1/11 inn niiprndiiiildt inn 100 
 
 I in/ in id n inn 101 
 
 Hjiiirritinn iirrf unit inn 205 
 
 Sfthdcrocdiinnn 205 
 
 Hi/iioxis h irsiita 52 
 
 Ini initirn.s hi/lont 121 
 
 Indian Hemp 122 
 
 Paintbrush 80 
 
 Pil)e 216 
 
 Poke 146 
 
 Turnip 70 
 
 Indigo, False White 117 
 
 JlKimoiii piiiidnidtd 208 
 
 Iris. Wild 112 
 
 Iris shrcvci 112 
 
 Jsopi/nnn bitrrndtnm 17 
 
 250
 
 Jack-in-the-pulpit "0 
 
 Jacob's Ladder 58 
 
 Jrffrrsonia diphi/lht 41 
 
 Jewel-weed, Spotted 121 
 
 Joe-pye Weed 221 
 
 Judas Tree 30 
 
 Juneberry 27 
 
 Kitten-tails 99 
 
 Kvigki biflora 89 
 
 virginica 89 
 
 Ladies' Tresses 223 
 
 Lady's Slipper, Showy Ill 
 
 Yellow 110 
 
 White 109 
 
 Larkspur, Wild 42 
 
 Leather-ilower 124 
 
 Lconunts cardiuca 165 
 
 Liatris pycnostachya 228 
 
 Liliu))i ))i irhigaiini.sc 126 
 
 iiDibcUdtiDu 125 
 
 Lily, Turk's Cap 126 
 
 Trout 11 
 
 Wood 125 
 
 Linaria viilgoris 171 
 
 Liparis liliifoUa 106 
 
 lorsclii 107 
 
 Licorice, Wild 128 
 
 Litliosper)Hit))i angiistifoUa 51 
 
 canescens 51 
 
 Liverleaf 21 
 
 Lizard-tail 201 
 
 Lobelia, Blue 220 
 
 Lobelia cardinalis 220 
 
 siph iJitica 220 
 
 Lon icera japoii ica 91 
 
 prolifcra 91 
 
 sempervirens 91 
 
 Loosestrife, Fringed 211 
 
 Lotus, American 203 
 
 Lousewort, Common 78 
 
 Swamp 78 
 
 Lupine, Wild 83 
 
 Liipiiitt.s pereniiis 83 
 
 Lysimachia ciliata 211 
 
 Macoupin 208 
 
 Mallow, Glade 162 
 
 Halberd-leaved 200 
 
 Poppy 194 
 
 Velvety-leaved Rose 200 
 
 Mdlus iof'ii.sis 57 
 
 Mandrake 56 
 
 Man-of-the-earth 208 
 
 Marsh-marigold 15 
 
 Mayapple 56 
 
 Mayweed 153 
 
 Meadow-rue 158 
 
 Mcdicago .sativd 160 
 
 Melilot 159 
 
 Mclilotiis alba 159 
 
 Menispcrm itm canadensc 135 
 
 Mertensia virginica 55 
 
 Milfoil 154 
 
 251
 
 Milkweed, Hlunt-leaved 180 
 
 Cdinnioii 178 
 
 Green 180 
 
 Poke 180 
 
 Sullivant's 179 
 
 Swamp 202 
 
 Milkwoit, Field 168 
 
 Miiiihili.s in/ctiifiinfit.s 147 
 
 Mist-flower, Blue 222 
 
 Mistletoe i:U 
 
 Mitilla (lii>7i!/llii 47 
 
 MniKinld fi.sliilosii 185 
 
 Moiiitt roiKi iiiiijloni 216 
 
 Mooiuseed 135 
 
 Mornins Glory, Wild 207 
 
 Mdth Mullein 173 
 
 Motheiworl 165 
 
 Mullein. Great 172 
 
 Moth 173 
 
 Mustard, Tansy 24 
 
 \iil><ii(i dioiid 162 
 
 Sd.stiirtium ojfiriiKilf 103 
 
 \el limbo luted 203 
 
 Xri)ctd. cdtdrid 130 
 
 Nettle. Hedse 174 
 
 Horse 183 
 
 New Jersey Tea 189 
 
 Nyctelea 92 
 
 0<")K)thrni hirnnix 184 
 
 Idtinidid 191 
 
 OiiiDit id n'fiii<:s(iiiii 187 
 
 Oranf;e Root 35 
 
 Orchid. Bracted 108 
 
 Oichis, Sliowy 46 
 
 Orcli i.v .spictdhilis 46 
 
 Orobauche fd.scictiUitd 82 
 
 uuijlord 81 
 
 O.smorhiza Jouijifiti/Ji.s 116 
 
 Oxalis cymofni 68 
 
 strirtd 68 
 
 ridldcea 69 
 
 Oyster Plant 152 
 
 Painted Cup 80 
 
 Paintbrush. Indian 80 
 
 Pawpaw. Common 28 
 
 I'apoose Root 67 
 
 Parsnip, Cow 181 
 
 Wild 182 
 
 I'd.sliiidcd sdlirn 182 
 
 Pea. Part ridge 192 
 
 l'<(liiiildri,s catuidiii.sis 78 
 
 Uniccoldtd 78 
 
 Pennyroyal. American 213 
 
 Rough 213 
 
 Penstemon. Foxglove 139 
 
 Hairy 139 
 
 Pale 139 
 
 Pf)i.stciii(/ii fliijitoU.s 139 
 
 hirsiitiifi 139 
 
 imUidii.s 139 
 
 Pepper, History of 201 
 
 Pepper Root 25 
 
 Peruvian Daisy 169 
 
 Pctalostcmum purpurcmn 161 
 
 252
 
 Phlox bifida 40 
 
 divarioata 39 
 
 pilosa 77 
 
 Phlox, Cleft 40 
 
 Prairie 77 
 
 Sand 40 
 
 Wild Blue 39 
 
 Phoradendroii flavesoens 131 
 
 Phi/la Umceolata 176 
 
 Philtohtcra aniericana 146 
 
 Pickerelweed 196 
 
 Pimpernel, Yellow 94 
 
 Piper nigrum 201 
 
 Phnitago Umceolata 129 
 
 rirqinica 129 
 
 Plantain, English 129 
 
 Small 129 
 
 Plum, Wild Red 29 
 
 PodophyUinn peltatiini 56 
 
 Pokeweed 146 
 
 Polem onium reptans 58 
 
 Poll/gala sanguinea 168 
 
 senega 105 
 
 Polygonal it m biflont m 75 
 
 Pontrderia cordata 196 
 
 Poppy Mallow 194 
 
 Potentilla recta 150 
 
 simplex 149 
 
 Prairie Clover 161 
 
 Coneflower 227 
 
 Dock 232 
 
 Phlox 77 
 
 Prickly Ash 30 
 
 Pear 187 
 
 Primrose, Evening 184, 191 
 
 Prunella vulgaris 164 
 
 Prunus americana 29 
 
 Ptelea trifoUata 115 
 
 Puccoon, Narrow-leaved 51 
 
 Hoary 51 
 
 Pussy Toes 13 
 
 Queen Anne's Lace 167 
 
 Queen-of-the-prairie 204 
 
 Ragwort, Golden 79 
 
 Ran u nculus abortivus 50 
 
 fascicularis 23 
 
 septentrionalis 23 
 
 trichophyllus 195 
 
 Ratibida pinnata 227 
 
 columnifera 227 
 
 Redbud 30 
 
 Rhus- (iromatica 4 
 
 glabra 98 
 
 Ribes americanu m 34 
 
 m issourirnse 33 
 
 Rosa blanda 151 
 
 Carolina 151 
 
 setigera 151 
 
 Rose, Wild 151 
 
 Rosin Weed 231 
 
 Rubus allcgheniensis 148 
 
 Rudbeckia hirta 142 
 
 triloba 142 
 
 Rue-anemone 20 
 
 False 17 
 
 Ruellia, Hairy 190 
 
 253
 
 Riifllia hit mil is 190 
 
 strcjii-n.s 190 
 
 Huniex acttit.siihi 145 
 
 Sage, Wood 175 
 
 Sdfiittiirid Itilifolia 197 
 
 St. Johu's-woit 205 
 
 Salsify 152 
 
 Sam biirit.s riiniuhnnis 166 
 
 SdiKjuiiKiriu camuhtisi.s 9 
 
 Sdiiiciiln mdiildiidicn 138 
 
 Sarsapaiilla, Wild 96 
 
 >^ditriinis cfniitu.s 201 
 
 t<d.rifr(i(id iH-nii.si/hiniivd 86 
 
 Saxifrage, Swamp 86 
 
 tiCHtcUurid Idtciijloni 214 
 
 ovdtd 214 
 
 ixirnild 214 
 
 Sedge, Spring 3 
 
 Self-heal 164 
 
 Seneca Snakeioot 105 
 
 Sciifcio iiKrrii.s 79 
 
 Senna, Wild 192 
 
 Seivice Bei ry 27 
 
 Sluuibush 27 
 
 Sheep Sonel 145 
 
 Shepherd's Purse 26 
 
 Shooting-star 76 
 
 Sicklepod 140 
 
 tiihiic (Uilirrhiiid 156 
 
 ciiciilxilii.s 157 
 
 stclldta 212 
 
 Silithium hiciniatiitn 231 
 
 trrrl)i)ithi)id((ii)n 232 
 
 Skullcap, Mad-dog 214 
 
 Ileal t-leaved 214 
 
 Small 214 
 
 Skunk Cabbage 1 
 
 Siiiildtiiid rdcrmosd 73 
 
 strlltitd 74 
 
 Snnld.r )i isi)i(td 133 
 
 ld.si<j>iiiird 134 
 
 Snakeioot, Black 138 
 
 Seneca 105 
 
 White 222 
 
 S:oUitium cdroliiioifie 183 
 
 ro.st rat ii m 183 
 
 Siilii!(iiiii dltis.simu 233 
 
 rii/idd 234 
 
 iilniifolid 234 
 
 Solomon's Seal 75 
 
 False 74 
 
 Sonel, Sheep 145 
 
 Spanish Needles 224 
 
 Spdriid Ilium iitri/cdipitm 90 
 
 Sjniiihtrid ptrfolidtd 155 
 
 Spideiwoit 114 
 
 Spikenard, P"'alse 73 
 
 Sjiinnithi.s cfrmni 223 
 
 Spring Beauty 10 
 
 Spring Cress 49 
 
 Spri ng Sedge 3 
 
 Squirrel Corn 6 
 
 slii(hii\ t'lniifolid 174 
 
 SIdiihifIrd (rifdlid 48 
 
 Star Grass, Yellow 52 
 
 Star-violet 7 
 
 Strawberry, Wild 88 
 
 Stick-tights 138 
 
 254
 
 Sumac, Fragrant 4 
 
 Smooth 98 
 
 Sunflower, Common 225 
 
 Giant 226 
 
 Hairy 226 
 
 Woodland 226 
 
 Sweet Cicely 116 
 
 Clover 159 
 
 Flag 59 
 
 William 39 
 
 Sijniplocdrpit.s foetidus 1 
 
 Sijnthijris buUii 99 
 
 Taenidia integerrivia 94 
 
 TaraxncH m officinale 14 
 
 Tea, New Jersey 189 
 
 Teucrium c(tiiadr)ise 175 
 
 ThaHctrum dioicum 158 
 
 revoliitu m 158 
 
 Thimbleweed 120 
 
 Thistle, Bull 229 
 
 Field 230 
 
 Hill's 229 
 
 Tickseed 186 
 
 Tickseed Sunflower 224 
 
 Toadflax, Bastard 38 
 
 Wild 171 
 
 Tomato, Wild 92 
 
 Toothwort 25 
 
 Touch-Me-Not 121 
 
 Tnulescuntiu ohioisis 114 
 
 su baspera 114 
 
 virginiana 114 
 
 Trugopogon dubius 152 
 
 porrifolius 152 
 
 pratensis 152 
 
 Trifolium repeius 160 
 
 pratense 160 
 
 Trillium gleasoni 45 
 
 grandiflorum 44 
 
 nivale 2 
 
 recurvatum 43 
 
 Trillium, Great White 44 
 
 Nodding 45 
 
 Red 43 
 
 Snow 2 
 
 Triofiteum perfoliatnm 170 
 
 Trumpet-vine 210 
 
 Turk's Cap Lily 126 
 
 Turnip, Ind ian 70 
 
 Twayblade, Greater 106 
 
 Loesel's 107 
 
 Twinleaf 41 
 
 Umbrellawort 147 
 
 Uvuhiria grandiflora 19 
 
 Valerian, Greek 58 
 
 Venus's Looking Glass 155 
 
 Verbascwm blattaria 173 
 
 thdpsit.s 172 
 
 Verbena hastata 177 
 
 simplex 177 
 
 stricta 177 
 
 urticifolia 177 
 
 Vervain, Hoary 177 
 
 255
 
 \'iohi cucullata 63 
 
 eriocarjHi 66 
 
 firtthridtitia 64 
 
 hniti-oUtta 65 
 
 li'ijiiliomtcea 63 
 
 indata 61 
 
 /x'rf(// ifida 62 
 
 sovoria 63 
 
 strititn 65 
 
 Violet, Bird-foot 61 
 
 Blue 63 
 
 Dogtooth 11 
 
 (liepn 60 
 
 Hairy Blue 63 
 
 Lance-leaved 65 
 
 Marsh Blue 63 
 
 Ovate-leaved 64 
 
 Prairie 62 
 
 SI liped 65 
 
 Yellow 66 
 
 Virgin's Bower 124 
 
 Wahoo 137 
 
 Wake Robin 2, 43, 44 
 
 Wapato 147 
 
 \\ ater Cress 103 
 
 Wateileaf, Appendaged 100 
 
 Virginia 101 
 
 Wliitlow Grass 8 
 
 Wind flower 18, 20 
 
 Wood-sorrel, Common Yellow 68 
 
 Upright Yellow 68 
 
 Vif)let 69 
 
 Woundwort 171 
 
 Yam, Wild 132 
 
 Yarrow 154 
 
 Yellow Star Grass 52 
 
 Z(nithox!/liim anicricamim 31 
 
 Zizid (iitrcd 95 
 
 256
 
 p;
 
 ■>-r 
 
 p'c:M^^m'^r<ziwmsm^mi