by Ernest Thompson Seton
Red, Purple, or Scarlet Flowers
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). In moist soil, New Brunswick to the Plains and southward. Blooms July to September. Brilliant red or scarlet, rarely white.
Red Lily, or Wood Lily (Lilium Philadelphicum). In dry woods, Maine to Manitoba and southward to the Middle States. Blooms June and July.
Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum). In wet meadows, Maine to Minnesota and southward halfway to the Gulf. Blooms July and August.
Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis). In rocky woods, Nova Scotia to the Plains and southward. Blooms April to July.
Fire Pink (Silene Virginica). In dry woods, New York to Minnesota and southward to Middle States. Blooms May to September.
Painted Cup, or Indian Paint-Brush (Castilleja coccinea). In moist meadows, Maine to Manitoba and southward halfway to the Gulf. Blooms May to July. The flowers are yellowish and inconspicuous; the scarlet is chiefly on the upper leaves.
A Secret
You see that flaming painted cup
The rich low wood beside;
Remember this,
where'er it grows
A painted warrior died.
Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea). In peat bogs, Labrador to the Rockies and southward up high. It blooms in May and June.
Bee Balm, or Oswego Tea (Monarda didyma). In moist soil, in the East from Ontario to Georgia. Blooms July and September.
Redcap, or Purple Flowering Raspberry (Rubes odoratus). On the edge of woods, Nova Scotia to Michigan and southward halfway to the Gulf. Blooms from June to August. Its blooms are worth far more than its berry, which is a thin red cap of fine gravel held together with a little fruit pulp.
Trumpet Creeper (Tecoma radicans). In moist woods, New Jersey to Illinois and southward to Texas. Blooms August and September.
