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| Farewell to Spring or Clarkia rubicunda. |
With beauty laden,
Dost thou wish to rival thy kin?
Or dost thou praise them
By trying to daze them
With varieties in thy spin?
Dost thou wish to rival thy kin?
Or dost thou praise them
By trying to daze them
With varieties in thy spin?
If any of you boys or girls wish to become a famous Botanist, you better begin now to study the Farewell to Spring.
A Botanist, you know, is a person who has studied plants long and who knows their habits. The famous Botanists of the World have all been men; but that is no reason why a girl should not plan to become one. It used to be that all the Doctors were men. Now, there are women doctors. It does not matter whether you are a man or a woman. It does matter, as long as you do your work well.
Just start in now and watch the plants. The more you find out about them when you are a child, the easier you will find it to learn more about them later. Plants are like people. If we are friends from childhood, we feel we know them well.
Now, take the Farewell to Spring. It is a native of our Pacific Coast. Most of its family are natives of California. The older Botanists did not have the chance to study it while it was growing. It does not always grow the same.
No matter where the Poppy and the Baby-Blue-Eyes grow, they look the same to us. Perhaps a little smaller if the ground is dry. Perhaps a little larger after a wet winter. But always, they are our same old friends.
Not so, the Farewell to Spring. If the winter has been a dry one, it will bring out one colored flower. If there has been much rain, it will change this color. If it grows on a dry hillside, it differs from where it grows in the shady grass.
The corolla always has four broad petals, but sometimes they are white, sometimes, pink; sometimes a pale purple. Sometimes the edges of the petals are smooth; sometimes, they have little notches; sometimes they are deeply cleft. Sometimes they have a deep crimson spot down inside near their honey bowls; sometimes, they have a paler red spot; sometimes they have a white spot; sometimes they have no spot. Sometimes on the same plant, there will be differently spotted flowers. They certainly are changeable. But one thing is certain; they are always beautiful.
The calyx too acts oddly. It does not open wide when the corolla bursts out and put its sepals around the flower. It just splits on one side and hangs down on the other side below the open corolla. If you take a calyx off, you see it is cone-shaped.
There are eight stamens, but they are not all alike. The four standing opposite the petals are shorter. Those standing between the petals are longer. The anthers are a lovely deep crimson. They add much to the beauty of the flower.
The pistil rises from the center of the stamens. At its top, the stigma divides into four parts and curves them backward as a Lily curves her petals. You can easily see them in the picture.
Mrs. Bug, when she comes visiting, must get a lot of pollen dusted over her. When she goes to the center of the next Farewell to Spring, she will surely brush against the spreading stigma and leave some pollen on it. With such healthy looking anthers and such a fine looking stigma, very good seeds ought to be made. They are.
The seed-case is different from, those we have been studying together. It grows long and slender. Lots of seed-cases do that. It gets narrower at both ends. Some other seedcases do that. It has four sides like a box. Few seedcases have that shape. See if you can learn how it sends the seeds out to the world.
Farewell to Spring comes in the late Spring or early Summer. That is how it gets its name. Then the ground is dry. Your Mother need not fear that you will get wet feet if you go out to study these flowers.
You will find the leaves differing in shape. Some will be longer and narrower than others. Some will have a smooth edge. Some will have tiny teeth along the edge.
The stalk of the flower bud will nod over, as if the bud was too heavy for it to hold up. As the sun warms it, the bud bursts open into the beautiful blossom. Then, the stalk stands up straight. It is so proud of the loveliness that it forgets the weight. It sways back and forth, showing off the beauty.
The Butterflies, skimming through the air, see this movement. They stop short. "Is this one of our sisters?" they whisper softly. ''Let us go down and see.''
As softly as snow falling, they descend to the side of Farewell to Spring.
A Botanist, you know, is a person who has studied plants long and who knows their habits. The famous Botanists of the World have all been men; but that is no reason why a girl should not plan to become one. It used to be that all the Doctors were men. Now, there are women doctors. It does not matter whether you are a man or a woman. It does matter, as long as you do your work well.
Just start in now and watch the plants. The more you find out about them when you are a child, the easier you will find it to learn more about them later. Plants are like people. If we are friends from childhood, we feel we know them well.
Now, take the Farewell to Spring. It is a native of our Pacific Coast. Most of its family are natives of California. The older Botanists did not have the chance to study it while it was growing. It does not always grow the same.
No matter where the Poppy and the Baby-Blue-Eyes grow, they look the same to us. Perhaps a little smaller if the ground is dry. Perhaps a little larger after a wet winter. But always, they are our same old friends.
Not so, the Farewell to Spring. If the winter has been a dry one, it will bring out one colored flower. If there has been much rain, it will change this color. If it grows on a dry hillside, it differs from where it grows in the shady grass.
The corolla always has four broad petals, but sometimes they are white, sometimes, pink; sometimes a pale purple. Sometimes the edges of the petals are smooth; sometimes, they have little notches; sometimes they are deeply cleft. Sometimes they have a deep crimson spot down inside near their honey bowls; sometimes, they have a paler red spot; sometimes they have a white spot; sometimes they have no spot. Sometimes on the same plant, there will be differently spotted flowers. They certainly are changeable. But one thing is certain; they are always beautiful.
The calyx too acts oddly. It does not open wide when the corolla bursts out and put its sepals around the flower. It just splits on one side and hangs down on the other side below the open corolla. If you take a calyx off, you see it is cone-shaped.
There are eight stamens, but they are not all alike. The four standing opposite the petals are shorter. Those standing between the petals are longer. The anthers are a lovely deep crimson. They add much to the beauty of the flower.
The pistil rises from the center of the stamens. At its top, the stigma divides into four parts and curves them backward as a Lily curves her petals. You can easily see them in the picture.
Mrs. Bug, when she comes visiting, must get a lot of pollen dusted over her. When she goes to the center of the next Farewell to Spring, she will surely brush against the spreading stigma and leave some pollen on it. With such healthy looking anthers and such a fine looking stigma, very good seeds ought to be made. They are.
The seed-case is different from, those we have been studying together. It grows long and slender. Lots of seed-cases do that. It gets narrower at both ends. Some other seedcases do that. It has four sides like a box. Few seedcases have that shape. See if you can learn how it sends the seeds out to the world.
Farewell to Spring comes in the late Spring or early Summer. That is how it gets its name. Then the ground is dry. Your Mother need not fear that you will get wet feet if you go out to study these flowers.
You will find the leaves differing in shape. Some will be longer and narrower than others. Some will have a smooth edge. Some will have tiny teeth along the edge.
The stalk of the flower bud will nod over, as if the bud was too heavy for it to hold up. As the sun warms it, the bud bursts open into the beautiful blossom. Then, the stalk stands up straight. It is so proud of the loveliness that it forgets the weight. It sways back and forth, showing off the beauty.
The Butterflies, skimming through the air, see this movement. They stop short. "Is this one of our sisters?" they whisper softly. ''Let us go down and see.''
As softly as snow falling, they descend to the side of Farewell to Spring.
''Oh, it's a flower. But what a lovely flower! As lovely as any of us.'' And that is the best compliment a Butterfly can pay.
''And I smell a dainty meal," whispers one who had not got up in time to eat breakfast before they left home.
In a second, each Butterfly is inside a Farewell to Spring. And both beautiful insect and beautiful flower nod together in the breeze.
Farewell-to-Spring does not die in one day. It wraps its petals together at night time. Next morning, it opens them wide. The same flower blooms for several days, always closing at sunset.
Every day, the Butterflies visit it. Every day, it has its delicate feast ready for them. Both beautiful insect and beautiful blossom are helped by the friendship.
''And I smell a dainty meal," whispers one who had not got up in time to eat breakfast before they left home.
In a second, each Butterfly is inside a Farewell to Spring. And both beautiful insect and beautiful flower nod together in the breeze.
Farewell-to-Spring does not die in one day. It wraps its petals together at night time. Next morning, it opens them wide. The same flower blooms for several days, always closing at sunset.
Every day, the Butterflies visit it. Every day, it has its delicate feast ready for them. Both beautiful insect and beautiful blossom are helped by the friendship.
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