The mountains of California . er make a soothinghush, while the spaces between the grand spiresafford noble openings through which to gazedreamily into the starry sky. Even in the matterof sensuous ease, any combination of cloth, steelsprings, and feathers seems vulgar in comparison. The fir woods are delightful sauntering-groundsat any time of year, but most so in autumn. Thenthe noble trees are hushed in the hazy light, anddrip with balsam; the cones are ripe, and the seeds,with their ample purple wings, mottle the air likeflocks of butterflies; while deer feeding in theflowery openings betw
The mountains of California . er make a soothinghush, while the spaces between the grand spiresafford noble openings through which to gazedreamily into the starry sky. Even in the matterof sensuous ease, any combination of cloth, steelsprings, and feathers seems vulgar in comparison. The fir woods are delightful sauntering-groundsat any time of year, but most so in autumn. Thenthe noble trees are hushed in the hazy light, anddrip with balsam; the cones are ripe, and the seeds,with their ample purple wings, mottle the air likeflocks of butterflies; while deer feeding in theflowery openings between the groves, and birds andsquirrels in the branches, make a pleasant stir whichenriches the deep, brooding calm of the wilderness,and gives a peculiar impressiveness to every wonder the enthusiastic Douglas went wild witlijoy when he first discovered this species. Even inthe Sierra, where so many noble evergreens chal-lenge admiration, we linger among these colossal firs r V. K > V. c fr tra. 178 THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA with fresli love, and extol their beauty again andagain, as if no other in the world could henceforthclaim our regard. It is in these woods the great granite domes risethat are so striking and characteristic a feature ofthe Sierra. And here too we find the best of thegarden meadows. They lie level on the tops of thedividing ridges, or sloping on the sides of them, em-bedded in the magnificent forest. Some of thesemeadows are in great part occupied by Veratnimalba, which here grows rank and tall, with boat-shaped leaves thirteen inches long and twelve incheswide, ribbed like those of cypripedium. Columbinegrows on the drier margins with tall larkspurs andlupines waist-deep in grasses and sedges; severalspecies of castilleia also make a bright show in bedsof blue and white violets and daisies. But the gloryof these forest meadows is a lily — L. flowers are orange-colored and quite small, thesmallest I ever saw of the true lilies ; b
Size: 1319px × 1894px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectcaliforniadescriptio
