. The brook book; a first acquaintance with the brook and its inhabitants through the changing year. Natural history. A-MAYING 29. Clumps of wild ginger next engaged our atten- tion. The broad leaves shone like watered silk in the light. We had to go over one whole patch to see that each plant was doing its duty in the mak- ing of flowers, and we never failed to find a flower between each pair of overarching leaves. Such a quaint, unpretentious wild- ing, with its cheek against the ground! Further along, the ground was taken up by May-apples now in full blossom. Here again I stopped to point o
. The brook book; a first acquaintance with the brook and its inhabitants through the changing year. Natural history. A-MAYING 29. Clumps of wild ginger next engaged our atten- tion. The broad leaves shone like watered silk in the light. We had to go over one whole patch to see that each plant was doing its duty in the mak- ing of flowers, and we never failed to find a flower between each pair of overarching leaves. Such a quaint, unpretentious wild- ing, with its cheek against the ground! Further along, the ground was taken up by May-apples now in full blossom. Here again I stopped to point out to Ellen how stoutly these plants cling to their old habits, for, as we lifted the umbrellas of the single-leaved plants, seeking for a flower, not one did we find. But between the twin leaves of each fruitful plant drooped the solitary waxen blossom. In a renovated fence-row near home the mandrakes had come up weeks ago. Even when the folded umbrellas first broke through the soil we could tell which ones would bring forth apples. The flower bud comes first from the ground, being borne aloft by the leaves. As the umbrellas spread on their ever stiffening ribs, the buds grow bigger, but not until the leaves spread wide apart does the bud droop on its lengthening stem and hide its face in their protecting shade. THE QUAINT WILD GINGER BLOSSOMS. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Miller, Mary Farrand (Rogers), Mrs. , 1868-. New York, Doubleday, Page & Company
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnatural, bookyear1902
