After the flowers are withered, the seeds still cling to the end of the stalk, and each seed is winged with a tuft of dingy white cotton down. When the seeds are ripe, the wind blows them away from the plant. 3. VIPER'S BUGLOSS The first thing you will notice about the Viper's Bugloss is the way the rows of flower-buds curl like a scorpion. The plant is common in most parts of the country, in waste places, by shingly sea beaches, and on chalky soil. It flowers in summer and autumn. The Viper's Bugloss is a stout, upright plant, with a curious pale green hairy stem, which is dotted all over with red spots. From this thick stem others, small and thin, branch on alternate sides, and drooping from the end of each stem is a double row of bright pink buds. The pair of buds nearest the main stem open first, and when in full bloom the flowers are usually bright blue, but sometimes you will find them deep purple or white. These flowers are bell-shaped and they open wide at the mouth, which is unevenly divided into five graceful points. Each flower sits in a green calyx-cup edged with five sharply pointed teeth. There is a row of narrow green pointed leaves, standing up like a cockscomb behind each row of flowers. These leaves curl over at the tip, along with the buds, and they uncurl as the flowers open. The leaves of the Viper's Bugloss are rough and hairy, with smooth edges. PLATE XLVIII: 1. RED POPPY 2. SCARLET PIMPERNEL 3. COMMON SORREL 1. RED POPPY The Red Poppy is known and beloved by children. You find it in all parts of the country in summer and autumn, growing among the corn, on the railway banks and under the hedges. The flower has four bright red petals, and of these the two outer are larger than the two inner. These petals are soft and silky, with wavy edges. When they first burst their green covering they are tightly folded and are much crinkled all over. But after a day in the sunshine they unfold, and all the crinkles disappear. Sometimes you find a bright purple spot at the bottom of each scarlet petal. In the centre of the flower sits a curious green cup with a lid, and this lid is covered with dark rays which look like the legs of a spider. This green cup is the seed-vessel, and as soon as the seeds are ripe, they pour out through a row of little holes which open just beneath the green lid. There is a ring of black-headed stamens standing up all round the green seed-cup. The Red Poppy has two green sepals. These are very thin and hairy, and they drop off almost as soon as the flower opens. Each Poppy grows on a long slender stalk which is covered with hairs. The leaves are divided into many narrow fingers, and they are rough and hairy. 2. SCARLET PIMPERNEL This fragile plant is very common. You find it in cultivated fields as well as by the roadside and in waste places. It blooms in summer and autumn.