The pretty little flower is very variable in color; its 5-parted and round-pointed corolla is purple, blue or white sometimes, but most commonly is orange-red with a violet ring in the center, while the collar which unites the 5 white stamens (they have yellow tips) is red-violet--a curious color combination. The calyx is 5-parted, shallow, and green. The flowers, on thread-like stems, occur in pairs, springing from the angles of the leaves along the stalk. The lowest buds open first; the blossoms last but a day,--they do not often spread in overcast weather, nor open until the sun is shining full, and they close by four o’clock in the afternoon. This habit causes the folk-name, which is more surely applicable to the plant when it grows by the sea, for though it is found inland in a flourishing condition, it is never acclimated thoroughly enough to adjust its reckoning with the weather, and is continually making false forecasts in its calculations. [Illustration: COMMON PIMPERNEL: Anagallis arvensis.] DOGBANE FAMILY. APOCYNACEÆ. *Spreading Dogbane.* _Apocynum androsæmifolium._ Found along the borders of wayside thickets in June and July. The branching, woody-fibred stalk grows from 2 to 3 feet in height; it has a sticky, milky juice, and is smooth; dull-red on the upper side, greenish on the under. The entire, smooth leaves are slightly pointed at the ends; dull green; they are set on extremely short stems in pairs. The small bell-shaped flowers have 5 recurved points, and are white, striped on the inside with hair lines of pink; their 5 yellowish stamens are arranged in a short, pointed cone. They hang on short stems, in small clusters from the ends of the branches and the angles of the leaves. Taken by itself the Dogbane’s flower is pretty, but the plant is sprangly in growth and awkward in gesture; its branches spread at an unpleasing angle, and the leaves are stiffly set. It is seen at its best among tall grasses, where only the pink bells of the flowering tips arise above the neighboring growths. The plant is much visited by a small iridescent green beetle. [Illustration: SPREADING DOGBANE: Apocynum androsæmifolium.] *Indian Hemp.* _Apocynum cannabinum._ Found on river banks during July and August. This branching plant, from 2 to 3 feet in height, has milky juice, smooth and exceedingly tough bark, and is dull red in color. The tip of the oval leaf is abruptly sharp-pointed; the margin is entire, the surface is smooth, and the color is dark green. The leaves are set on short stems, and placed in pairs. The small and inconspicuous flowers are 5-pointed, and greenish white. They form small flat clusters on the ends of the branches. The leaves and flowers have a faint pleasant odor. The plant is extremely awkward in gesture, without the redeeming grace of bloom belonging to its next of kin, the Dogbane. [Illustration: INDIAN HEMP: A. cannabinum.]