Ferndale Union High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Ferndale, CA)

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Wild Flowers in the Vicinity of Ferndale Few people appreciate the Wealth of wild, fiowers growing round and about Ferndale. There is scarcely any time of the year, if a person is inclined and is interested in flowers, but that buds and blossoms of some species may be culled from our fields and mountain sides. ' One of the first flowers that makes its appearance in the spring is the Trillium, a member of the lily family, and no church or Easter decoration is complete without a bunch of these daintily colored blossoms. Little companies of these plants maybe seen upon low flats, under the trees, where the soil is rich. The flowers have a strong heavy fragrance, and are exceedingly variable in color, .ranging from pure white to deep wine. Closely 'following the Trillium, come the white Daisies, which dot the fields and pastures. They are generally pure white, with an occasional rose color, and thrive best in a sandy soil. I have seen them flourishing even in old river beds, where you could scarcely distinguish them from the white stones. The Wood or Yellow Violet also blooms in the'spring. This modest little violet is found com- monly in the woods, where it often carpets the ground with its leaves. Another violet comes at this time which has a violet or purple colored blossom. These flowers generally grow in moist places, and vary in the length of their stems, When the first clear, beautiful note of the lark the buttercup is here. The fields are generally nature. The blossoms are of a rich yellow and live. The Genies Iris, on account of the bright and rainbow-winged messenger of the gods. lt has a according to the season and locality of the growth. is heard, the skies blue and grass green, we know full of them, bringing a gladness to the face of the plants prefer the marshy places in which to varied hues of its iiowers, was named for the beautiful purple or lilac-colored lily, which seems to have a certain marked individuality. It thrives well upon the lower slopes of our well drained hillsides. Again it is often found in the rich soil of the moist woodlands about Francis and Wil- liams' creeks. Baby Blue Eyes, Sunflowers, Shooting-Stars, Indian Pinks, Wild Onions, Wild Sweet Peas, Batchelor Buttons and Bleeding Hearts all abound on the hills south of the public school grounds. The delicate blossom of the Baby Blue Eye vary greatly in size and the color of blue. General- ly it is a bright blue and is called by some California Bluebell. The Sunflower has a large blos- som of rich yellow, with a brown center. The others are so familiar to us all that they need no description here. One of the oddest and most beautiful flowers The Wild Ginger comes to us during the months of April and May. lt grows of our many shaded streams, where it seems to A dull colored bud begins to appear and when at length expanded, the blossom looking for its prey. The leaves of this plant, when crushed, have a fragrance caniphor. This species grows abundantly along Scarlet flowers are so rare, and nature is so of the Indian Paint Brush are especially welcome. along the borders as they gurgle by. resembles a spider similar to that of enjoy the gossip of the brooks Price and Howe creeks. chary of that beautiful hue The dense tufts make brilliant dashes of color that the blossoms which are very noticeable amid the greens of spring time. that grow in our vicinity is the Mission Bell. It is unrivaled in elegance, for every line is a study in grace. The plants maketheir appearance in early spring, and later produce an abundance of blossoms. The flowers are mottled, and vary in shades from dull green to purple. There modest colors blend so nicely into the scene about that it is diflicult to see them. The bright canary colored blossoms of the common Monkey Flower are a familiar sight, fringing the streams and peering over the banks as if to see their own loveliness reflected there. The flowers are of a handsome yellow, having a pair of ridges running down their open throats, and may also be known by its musk scented light green herbage. ' False Solomon's Seal is one of the prettiest plants found in our woods during the spring sea- SOI1, It HHS H graceful, dI'00Di11g tG1'1d9HCY, Which shows the handsome spreading leaves to full ad- vantage, and its few delicate little white blossoms are a Htting termination to the sprays. Near and about our town, even before the frost is entirely over, the leaves of the Skunk Cabbage IDHY be S6611 DHShiI1g their Wal' UU thI'0l1gh the Standing water in marshy localities. They attain great size and are of a rich wax-velvet green. When the plants are in bloom, they are very hand- some and the stalk continues to grow until its yellow blossoms become brown. 'During the same season comes the California Poppy, whose charms are difficult to exaggerate.

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A Squirrel's Adventure Although I was but a little ground squirrel, I watched the Indians with awe and wonderment kindling a great fire down by the lake. The fire and the water in the lake were soon quarreling. Each claimed that he could do the most damage in the world. The water said, What could you do? Oh, I could burn everything and everybody up in the world, replied the fire. Oh no you couldn't, said the water, f'Lets try, said the fire. Allright. At this the iiames of the fire leaped to the tops of the forests, but the water rose higher and higher. The fire was soon raging on the high mountain tops, but only to be quenched by the water. Having witnessed all this I plainly saw that if something was not done there would soon be no more fire in the world. Even if I wasn't very large I thought I might do something. What could I do? What could I do? Finally a thought came to my mind. I at once began to hunt out some timber that would resist fire a long time and at last decided upon the oak. I strapped this to my back and fastened a coal to it. I now went to a high rocky cliff, thinking I would here be safe from the angry waters. Below me I saw mountains disappear and the Hre was grad- ually being consumed by the raging waters. Closer and closer came the water to me as I stood on this high position. Now it had reached me. What must I do? All that is left is to swim, but at just this moment I was swept off of my feet. For many days I swam in the water, taking precautions not to let the water see the coal on my back. At last there was no more smoke in the world. Almost all the animals had either been burned to death or were drowned. By this time the coal had burned through the wood and was eating into the flesh on my back. Finally the flood began to decrease and the water returned to the lake. Water had con- quered fire. Once more I set my feet on land, but was nearly exhausted. Immediately I built a large fire and the animals that were left came and dryed themselves. The hair on my back was singed to a brown and ever after l bore this mark, which constantly reminded me of my great adventure. VERNA HAWLEY, '10. . iii, 413: 4 .1 N .- ri qu -Lf .R J '53 . , I '- 'f , V' v 1- ' i'1'3il:-p S fi' -ee as ,. fp- . - , ' - ELI ' '37 , ' ' Aiff' - 'D 1--. 143- A 'L , 1 ,SZ P'-Y 4,,,L 'Q-. -sg 2 . -f -' 'TLA fi- - I 5 L.. . '., ' ,..... Q S ' ' -L - r A ,V ' , - W W I .,,.,,.,e.e- ... - , -Mg-..:f

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Upon our hillsides and in the valley, bright patches of gold denote that they are the blossoms of the State flower. lt revels in the sunshine, and not until the morning is well advanced does it begin to unfurl its tightly rolled petals. Different authorities have stated that this poppy reaches its highest state of perfection in the Eel River Valley, where the large golden blossoms are beau tiful and magnificent. Following closely in the wake of the spring flowers come the early summer plants and vines. Creeping and climbing along the roads, over fences and old stumps, we find the Wild Morning- Glory. Its blossoms are of a beautiful pink color ranging to a light cream. The flowers open in the morning and close at eventide. The Canterbury Bell is one of the most charming flowers found here. It is a familiar sight to see it growing along the dusty roadside, where it opens its fragile bells to greet the passers-by. The stems are very brittle and the blossoms fall early-the lower ones usually having passed away before the upper ones have attained their beautiful shade of purple. Most of us are familiar with the Yellow VVater Lily and have seen its pretty leaves floating upon the surface of a pond, starred with its large golden flowers. A lake fllled with these floating blossoms may be seen by travelers en route from Ferndale to Singley's Station. One of the most deservedly admired of all our shrubs is the lovely Azalea, which generally bor- ders the foothills and is found abundantly on the highway leading from Table Bluff to Eureka. The flower has a pinkish or salmon colored tint, and is often concealed from view by the large mass of green foliage which grows on the bush. Another shrub which covers our mountain sides and which during its period of blossoming makes a beautiful background for our little city, is the California Lilac. The flowers are of a feathery, plume like appearance and blue in color. The Wild Rose is one of the few Howers that bloom so cheerfully through the long summer days along the public highway as well as in more secluded places. ln autumn it often seems in- spired to a special luxuriance of blooming, and it lingers to greet the Astors to mingle its pink flow- ers with their delicate lilac color. A At almost any time of the year the blossoms of the yellow Sand Verbena may be found upon the ocean beach, leading down the coast from Centerville. It bears dense clusters of yellow flowers and the stems are very gummy. I 1 Flourishing upon the sides of the hills in our vicinity we find both the purple a11d white Lu- pine. These flowers thrive equally as well upon our river bars, and many bunches of them re- lieve the otherwise barren rocks and sand. Dandelions grow to perfection, both in size and color in our fields and pastures, Many grounds are made most attractive by being covered so profusely with these blossoms. Towards the end of our summer, after the most. of the other flowers have come and gone, na- ture brings out her last children as welcome visitants to fill the places of our vanished earlier friends. I The iirst of the Autumnal flowers to make its appearance is the Astor, which blossoms all during the fall. It has a delicate pale violet or lilac tint and is much admired by all lovers of flowers.. ' Last, but not least, comes the Golden Rod to stay, perhaps longer than any other flower. It has slender, willow shaped stems and flower clusters of yellow. It was this beautiful flower of gold that vied with the Eschscholtzia for supremacy when the state flower for California was being chosen. It grows profusely along the roadsides leading from Grizzly Bluff to Eel River and is much sought after for decorative purposes. C. A. M., '10.