PLANT PEOPLE OF THE WATERWAYS 1...throw their shadows half way across the pool and the morning sky...

PLANT PEOPLE OF THE WATERWAYS 1

I N S T R U C T O R L I T E R AT U R E S E R I E S

Little Plant People of theWaterways

BY

Annie Chase

F. A. OWEN PUBLISHING COMPANYDANSVILLE, N.Y.

2 PLANT PEOPLE OF THE WATERWAYS

Copyright, 1912, by F. A. OWEN PUBLISHING CO.


Little People of the Waterways

ALONG THE WATERWAYS

Merry and glad are all the brooks and riverswith the joy of giving, for they have plenty andto spare.

The brooks begin to sing about it as soon asthey are big enough to make little waterfallsover the woodland rocks; the rivers gush and


gurgle and dimple or shout and huzzah about itas they run between green banks or over thedam the miller built. The lakes, silent andserene, smile about it so brilliantly you canscarcely look upon their glittering lights, andevery little pool in meadow or in bog is lightedwith it as with a candle.

“We can give, give, give! hurrah!” they allshout together; “we can give to the air to makemoisture and rain, to the leaves to makestrength and nourishment, to the roots near byus when our abundance fills the soil.”

Seeds blown from afar alight near these freegivers, not to die of thirst as they so often muston the dry hot hill, but to be bathed and fed tillthey grow strong to spring up and blossom bythousands of their kind.

And lo! these givers are soon wreathed andgarlanded about with the most beautiful of allthe plants and flowers the world holds.


HOW PLANTS DRINK

All the Plant People must have water todrink. They drink, with their roots, both waterand food stuffs dissolved in water from thesoil.

Unless they have water to drink they cannotget at the food though they grow in the richestof rich soil, for all a plant’s food has to be madeinto broth.

The wonderful root tips feel their way alongunderground, searching, searching, searchingfor water and food, food and water.

From cell to cell of the root the “broth” ispushed upward, from the root to the stalk, fromthe stalk to the stems, from the stems to theleaves, the sunlight and air on the leaves doinga great deal toward the pumping upward of thisbroth into the air and light.

In the leaves spread out in the sun all thebroths for each plant are cooked and then sentdown through all the plant to nourish and allaythe thirst of every leaf, stem, and blossom. Ofcourse, then, all plants are water-lovers. Cer-tainly they are, but certain kinds of plants


drink much more than others and spend theirstore more freely.

There are many kinds of these water-lovingplants, tiny one-celled affairs which float anddo nothing but drink; lilies which root underthe water, floating queenly blossoms and bigwaterproof leaves on the surface, pickerel weedsand their ilk who only wade out a little intothe shallow water, taking care not to go over theirshoes, and hundreds of others, which only sitnear or hang over the water to dip a finger ortwo when the water is at its highest point.

The one-celled plants (water algae) float onthe top of the water; without roots, without


leaves, without blossoms, yet they are so beau-tiful under a glass you will forsake your toysail boat to examine them.

Most of these one-celled plants multiply notby seeds but simply by dividing one cell intotwo, two cells into four, and so on till the topof some still pool is covered all over with themand their children.


IN THE WAKE OF THE DRAGON FLY

If we follow the dragon fly across the stillpool to the other side of those reeds and rushes,which seem to be wading out into the water likean army crossing a stream, we come at onceupon the big, round, tight-fisted looking budsof the yellow water lily, a poor relation of PondLily, the Queen. The showy part of the yellowwater lily is only the cup which holds the realflower. The flower petals themselves are thoseyellow stamen-like parts in the centre. The

stigma is that goldenflat disc in the centreupon which Bee andB e e t l e l o v e t o s i twhile they sip honeyf r o m t h o s e c u r l e dy e llow s t a m e n - l i k epe ta l s a r ranged a l laround it.

U n d e r t h i s q u e e rtable all the anthersare crowded.

When the f l owerbeg ins t o open sheopens f i r s t a l i t t l etriangular w i n d o wright over the headsof these anthers un-der the table, a


window so small that any insect coming in willhave to step on the table first.

After Bee has been in and left the pollen,which he may have had sticking to his shinsfrom a visit to some other yellow water lily,upon the table where it will help the seeds toform down below, then, and not until then, dothe anthers dare to pop their heads out fromunder the table and shake out their own pollento be carried by the next visiting bee or beetleto another flower.

This is done so that seeds shall not be formedfrom the pollen of the home flower and so beweak and good for nothing.

To see the white queen, Water Lily, at her bestis to see her in the early morning when theswamp maples and the stately cinnamon fernsthrow their shadows half way across the pooland the morning sky tints dash the space be-tween the shadows with red and pink and goldreflections.

Then, breathing out incense, she unfolds tothe new, clean, dew-bathed day.

Do not snatch her up selfishly; let her restthere while you listen for what she will say toyou.

As the sun creeps higher her yellow stamensand anthers fairly radiate golden lights, and see!on her outer petals a dash or two of pink. Didshe catch and hold those pretty morning colors


to be her coat of arms? Her big red and greenpad or leaf is a marvel of waterproof tissue. Itlies all summer on the water, where droppingtree leaves perish and sink, without a sign ofdecay. Bees, beetles, and water-loving insectsare the pollen carriers of this royal family.

PICKEREL WEED

Trying to get as near as possible to Water Lilyand her sister we came near stepping on thesemore humble plants along the water’s edge.

Pickerel Weed is growingup here, her toes in theshallow waters along shore.She is tall with one bluntarrow-head shaped leaf,shiny and rich as a calla lilyleaf, and one spike of violetblue flowers. Every one ofthese queer blue flowercups is fashioned in such amanner that an insect can-not possibly enter the flow-er cup without brushing offsome of the pollen upon hisjacket or trousers.

The deer in the Adiron-


dacks haunt the lake shores in search of thisjuicy plant which they eat with great relish.

The Mud Plantain is a small water plant, asister of the Pickerel Weed, with deep greenfloating kidney-shaped leaves on long stemsand with a few white or pale blue flowers.

THE ARUM FAMILY

The Arum family to whichJack-in-the-Pulpit of the wetwoods belongs is a water-lov-ing family; its members livingin or nearthe pondsor streams.

W a t e rArum isone of themost beaut-iful of theselooking much like a dwarfcalla lily. Her deep greenleaves are long heart-shapedwith long stems.

The white part is only aspathe wrapped around thereal flower inside it. On the


yellow spadix in thecentre are the realflowers, (crowded likelittle folks in school),the lower flowers hav-ing petals, stamens andpistils, the upper onesoften having nothing butstamens.

Pond snails and in-sects carry the pollen.The berries are red likeJacks.

Water Arum has a sis-ter, Arrow Arum, withlong pointed arrow-shaped leaves. A point-ed green spathe wrapsthe spadix up from topto toe, leaving only alittle window throughwhich the flowers maypeep out and the insectscreep in.

The Skunk Cabbageof the swamps is an-other of this same fam-ily, wrapping her flow-

ers in an envious spathe that would rival Jack’spulpit were it not for its horrible odor, which


odor, by the way, this plant secrets for the at-traction of insects.

Golden Club is a member of this same familywho does not, however, consider it necessary towrap up her spadix in aspathe but holds it up onnaked stems. The spathe,perhaps kept for the sake offamily custom, is to be foundaway down at the lower endof the stem. The long-stemmed, oblong, dark greenleaves float upon the water.

Who does not know andlove the stiff, sunny-green,sword-like leaves of the sweetflag with their spicy flavor!All the country boys andgirls have pulled and eaten itfor generations. What arecity dancing parties and fancyices when compared with a runfor this over golden meadowsand a feast upon its life-giv-ing leaves or its fiery root?Sweet Flag is also a memberof of the Arum Family.


THE WATER PLANTAIN FAMILY

In the shallow water of ponds and sluggishstreams we often find a plant from one to threefeet high, growing its leaves all from the rootand sending up a tall branching flower stemrather sparingly decorated with wee white orpinkish flowers.

The bee-like drone flies carry the pollen fromplant to plant of this species.

Arrow Head, a handsome white waxy blossomof the low wet lands, is a sister to this plain lit-tle plant.


Arrow Head is awonderful little be-ing, handsome anddecorative, no mat-ter which way sheturns.

White, waxy,three-petaled blos-soms with a richyellow centre; youspy them down inthe wetlands of themeadow while youare yet many yardsaway from them.But you cannotpluck the blossoms.They will wither ina short time awayfrom their homedrinking grounds.


THE CAT-TAIL FAMILY

Standing boldly up aroundthe pool’s margin or stalk-ing fearlessly across it,find the famous cat-tails ofthe cat-tail family. Theflowers are on a stiff spikeat the top of a tall stiffstem. The leaves are flat,narrow and ribbon-like.The upper ha l f o f thespike is covered with sta-mens the lower half withpistils, the yellow powderypollen scattering itsel fdown over the staminatef lowers below to makeseeds. The cat-tai ls wepick to keep over winterhave shed the stamens atthe tip, only the down,tipped with reddish brownof the pistil flowers, re-maining in a dense longcat-tail shaped mass.

The narrow-leaved cat-tail keeps a long empty

space on the stem between its pistil and itsstamen flowers.


TALL MEADOW RUE

Looking down upon the meadow from far upon the hills you can see the airy, fairy, featheryplumes of the Meadow Rue floating on theirlong stems above the meadow grasses.

The Daisies and Buttercups, resting after theirJune carnival and dance, are very few of themto be seen else the Rue would not be so easilyespied.


Rue belongs to the same family (Crowfoot) asthe Buttercup, but you would never guess it, forher flowers do not have petals but many thread-like stamens, a part of this feathery plume beingmade up of stamen flowers, a part of pistilflowers and a part with both stamens and pistils.

A bouquet of Meadow Rue and Wild Roses ismore lovely than any the conservatory canboast.

THE BURR REED FAMILYIn all the bogs and marshes we find little

low-growing plants with leaves like those ofcat-tail but shorter, weaker and lighter in color.The plants have downy flowers in dense roundheads. The fruits are green nutlets wedged to-gether into a crowded sphere that looks some-thing like a pineapple.


PITCHER PLANT

Down among the grasses of the meadow wefind some reddish green, leathery leaves curledlike pitchers, with a big, leathery, odd sort ofblossom standing on a tall stem in their midst.

The whole plant is a trap set for unwaryinsects.

The pitcher-shaped leaves, themselves just thecolor of raw meat, and perhaps having an odorwe cannot sense, are half filled with water, fornot one of these queer dishes leak. Carrion flies,a lways hover ing over the meadows and


bogs in search of dead mice, moles or other de-caying things, come straight to these pitcherswhich stand so invitingly open. All around thethroat of the opening are some rows of bristleswhich are soft as silk when rubbed the way afly rubs them going down into the pitcher, butbecoming a barbed wire fence to him trying tocome out.

Again and again the distressed prisoner beatsagainst these and buzzes angrily; now he getsinto a panic, rushes about, slips, falls, sinks intothe pool in the pitcher!

And, if you will believe me, this queer planthaving drowned him at last eats his broth withrelish! It is one way of obtaining the sort offood the plant needs.

The blossom helps to bait the trap. The style,which is that thin part of the blossom shapedlike an umbrella and having five ribs, has asticky surface on the inside.

Carrion flies from other flowers can enter thelittle arched doorways which lead under theumbrella, but the hanging petals and sepals keepall the rain from the precious pollen and dripevery drop possible into the pitchers below.

The flies come from far and near to eat fromthe under side of the style, some to becomepollen carriers, others to be killed for “soup.”

When the pitchers grow in the sunshine theyare green with reddish veinings.


There is another family of insect eaters in thebogs called the Sundew family.

Every leaf of these plants is a contrivance totangle, stick, and hold the feet of insects to itssurface.

The glands of the leaves give out clear dropsof sticky fluid which looks like dew or honeydrops—while covering each leaf from top to toeare tiny red bristles or filaments.

Gnats and other tiny woodland insects comefluttering carelessly along.

“Aha! a feast!” The table cloth looks ratherbristly, but oh how sweet the goodies are!

“Never mind the tablecloth,” says another,“I want some honey, too.” “I too,” humsanother. “Here is something free!” cr iesanother in a tiny voice.

Down they all swoop upon the feast, but theyhave no sooner tasted than the bristly red fila-ments on the tablecloth have curled and claspedthem about and strangled them to death. Theplant sucks up their juices for her pay, tossesthem aside, and spreading her leaves again inthe sunshine makes ready for another feast.


MEADOW BEAUTY AND GERARDIA

In fresh sandy marshes in August blooms theMeadow Beauty, a flower with four bright pink.petals, with eight golden stamens and one long

pistil, which ripens inadvance of the sta-mens so that the flow-er shall receive pollenfrom another ’s an-thers rather thanfrom its own.

Butterf l ies andhoney bees, alwayslooking their bestagainst this flower’sbright magenta pink,are the visitors andpollen carriers.

The stems, nearlysquare, and the three-ribbed opposite leavesturn so red in autumn that Thoreau once said:“The scarlet leaves and stem of the Rhexia(Meadow Beauty) sometime out of flower, makealmost as bright a patch in the meadows nowas the flowers did. Its seed vessels are perfectlittle cream pitchers of graceful form.”

Side by side with Meadow Beauty in the sandymarsh, in the sunshine or in partial shade, wefind the dainty pink bells of the Gerardia, whichbelongs to another family (Figwort family) but


which seems to need the same sort of food.

Gerardia is a sister of the Yellow Foxglove wefound on the mountain side and the flowers arenearly the same inform.

There is the pur-plish pink Gerardia,the Seaside Gerar-dia, which growsonly a few inchestall, and the SlenderGerardia. All ofthese carry thesame quaint littlevases.

Over on the brookbanks among thetal l weeds is theMonkey Flower, socalled because someone thought theblossom ape-like inexpression. It cer-tainly is wonder-fully beautiful and much more elegant than itsname. The peculiar rich but delicate blue ofthis flower helps us to spy it from afar. It, too,belongs to the Figwort family.

Painted Cup in the low wet meadow, anotherof the Figworts, is an odd little plant with its


flower almost hid-den in along, cylin-drical , two-lobedca lyx which i stipped with brilliantscarlet. The floweri tse l f i s greenishy e l l o w a n d n o t abit showy, but thesescarlet calyx partsshow a dash of redas bright as the redberries of the alder.

IRIS FAMILY

Iris was namedfrom a Greek wordwhich means Rain-bow.

L o o k c l o s e l y a tthe tall blue Iris bythe brook; you willfind all the tints ofthe rainbow in oneflower and will un-derstand why it wasso named.


Those showy, purple-veined petals range fromviolet to pale blue, to yellow, buff, whitish, whilethose little curled parts which lie prostrate uponthem are tinted with pinks and reds.

These strap-like curled parts which lie uponthe showy petals are divisions of the style ofthe pistil, and under each of these stamens liehidden. Bee, to reach the honey, alights uponthe showy petal, crawls beneath this strap-shaped part, brushes past the anther or pollenbox hidden there, and dislodges some of thepollen, carrying it, all unbeknown to himself,to the next Iris blossom which he visits. Butoften the little yellow butterfly steals the nectarfrom Iris’ cupboard. She alights between thoseupright divisions of the flower and so long isher tongue she can reach away down where thenectar is and sip her fill. So it often happensthat Bee comes to find the cupboard empty, buthe carries the pollen away none the less.

Little Blue-Eyed Grass belongs to the Irisfamily.


ARETHUSA

Beside the Pitcher plants inthe June meadow we find a dearlittle pink flower with the sweet-est of perfumes.

It is Arethusa, one of theOrchids and one of the mostcharming posies in the meadowlot . That pretty speckledtongue of hers is thrust out forBee’s benefit . Bumblebeebraces his feet against thoselittle upturning parts of the“tongue” and thrusts his headdeep down where the nectar isstored. Once in, there is noth-ing; to do but to back out, whenhe has “filled his baskets,” asbest he can. If you watch Are-thusa when he is blunderingawkwardly out, heels foremost,you will catch her laughingwith her mouth wide open.

At this time too, she opensher pollen box and pours thewhole contents on Bee’s inno-cent head, who goes buzzing;

off at last never thinking how droll he lookswith a big yellow blot over each eye, on the topof his head and down his back.


SWAMP AZALIA

White, sweet waxy blooms among glossyleaves of a tall shrub which grows just on themargin of the maple swamp yonder are theSwamp Azalias, the loveliest of all the swampflowers.

“Bzz! hm! m-m!” all the bees, butterflies,moths come to feast; so would the creeping-insects if they could, but the clammy, stickyparts of the tubes of the flowers hold them fast,or drive them back, sending them away empty-handed.

It is upon the stems of this shrub early in the


season that those queer, green, fleshy growthswe call swamp apples and May apples maketheir appearance. Once supposed to be thework of an insect, these delicious “apples” arenow believed to be buds which for some mys-

terious reason have takenon this strange form.

To taste the juicy sweet-ness of those apples is toknow the flavor of a pinywoodland swamp sweet-ened with honey dew.

CARDINAL FLOWER

In the meadow there isthrough al l the warm.season a revel and a car-nival of bloom—Daisies,Buttercups, Arethusas,Pitcher Plants , Violets ,R u e i n e a r l y s u m m e r ,J o e Pye weeds, GoldenRods, Wild Carrots anddozens o f others in thelater weeks of bloom.

Late in summer andclose by the brook in the


sunshine of the meadow glows the CardinalFlower, red as the reddest sunset, staining thebrook with its reflection, a queen of color. Thebeauty of the Lobelia family is Cardinal Flower,but do not pluck her blossoms. So many peoplehave gathered the beautiful things that thereis danger of our losing this wonderful plant be-cause of the selfishness of such people.

GENTIANS

Last but not least in the train of the summerflowers come the Gentians of the meadows.All the other flowers have past on but this onelingers, low down in the grass where the Octobersunshine warms the damp, soft soil and theshrivelling reeds, turned to sunbeam yellow,make a shelter from the cold winds.

To find a family of Fringed Blue Gentianslooking serenely up at the sky is to learn some-thing of flower spirits which we have neverknown before; but we cannot tell it one toanother; we can only wonder at it and watchfor it next year when again the flowers arepassing in their gay procession.

The Fringed Blue Gentian blooms from theseed each year and has leafy, straight perpen-dicular stems with one blossom at the top of


the stem. The blossom has a deep tube andfour violet blue petals deeply fringed.

The Downy Gentian blooms as the SweetWilliam does from year to year from the sameroot but does not bloom the first year from theseed.

The Closed Gentian has buds which neveropen: sometimes a very persevering Bee willforce his head down into the bud by tearingapart its tight folds, but of itself the strangeplant never opens its eyes to the world.

Like a little blind girl it gropes for the lightand basks in the warm sunbeams but it cannotlook with open eyes at the beloved sun.

LITTLE PLANT PEOPLE 1

2002

An Elfin Press e-reprint

PLANT PEOPLE OF THE WATERWAYS 1...throw their shadows half way across the pool and the morning sky...

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Transcript of PLANT PEOPLE OF THE WATERWAYS 1...throw their shadows half way across the pool and the morning sky...