11 August 1856 – 17 August 1856

This morning the river is an inch and a half higher, or within eight inches of the top of Hoar’s wall. The other evening, returning down the river, I think I detected the convexity of the earth within a short distance. I saw the western landscape and horizon, reflected in the water fifty rods behind me, all lit up with the reflected sky, though it was a narrow [?] picture. A stroke of my oar and the dark intervening water was interposed like a dark, opaque wall. Moving my head a few inches up or down produced the same effect; 2. €., by raising my head three inches I could partially oversee the plane of the water at that point, which was otherwise concealed by the slightest convexity.

11 a. m.— To Hill. The Hypericum mutilum is well out at this hour. The river is now at a standstill, some three feet above its usual level. The pickerel-weed is all covered, and lilies, and much of the button-bush and mikania. It> is as great an accident as can befall these flowers. It is novel to behold this great, full tide in which you perceive some current by the eddies, in which no snarl of weeds is seen. So different from that Potamogeton River, where you caught a crab at every stroke of the oar, and farmers drove their hay-carts across. Instead of watery gleaming fields of potamogetons in which the boatman was entangled, and drifting vallisneria on which the dragon-flies alighted, I see a deep full river on which vessels may float, and I feel at a distance from terra firma when on its bosom. P. M. — To Moore’s Swamp. Gerardia purpurea, two or three days. The mul- gedium in that swamp is very abundant and a very stately plant, so erect and soldier-like, in large companies, rising above all else, with its very re- gular long, sharp, elliptic head and bluish-white #* flowers. Again I examine that very strict solidago, which per- haps I must call wand-stemmed. Perhaps it is only a swamp variety of S. stricta, yet the leaves are thicker and darker(? )-green, and the upper commonly broader, often elliptic, pointed, less recurved and not wavy. Stem and head is now commonly much more strict and branches more erect, and racemes less one-sided, but in larger and maturer ones they are at length recurving and forming a pyramid like S. stricta. Rays are fewer and broader, five or six; stem reddish, with apparently more branchlets or leafets in axils.’ Am surprised to see still a third species or variety of helianthus (which may have opened near August Ist, say only a week). Only the first flowers out. At edge of the last clearing south of spring. I cannot identify it. It has very short but not margined petioles; leaves narrower than yesterday’s, and rough beneath as well as above. The outer scales of involucre a little the longest; but I think this of little importance, for the involucre of the H. divaricatus is very variable, hardly two alike; rays about ten. In some respects it is most like H. strumosus, but not downy beneath.? > See ent”

P. M. —'To Conantum. Beck says of the small circeea (C. alpina), “Many botanists consider this a mere variety of the preceding.” I am not sure but it is more deeply toothed than the large.’ Its leaves are of the same color with those of the large at Bittern Cliff, but more decidedly toothed; gq. v. Why does it not grow larger at Corner Spring? The root of the Polygala verticillata also has the checkerberry odor. In Bittern Cliff Woods that (apparently) very oblong elliptical leafed Lespedeza violacea (?), growing very loose and open on a few long petioles, one foot high by four or five inches wide. Is this because it grows in woods? It is not in bloom. Is there not now a prevalence of aromatic herbs in prime? — The polygala roots, blue-curls, wormwood, pennyroyal, Solidago odora, rough sunflowers, horse- mint, etc., etc. Does not the season require this tonic? - I stripped off a shred of Indian hemp bark and could not break it. It is as strong as anything of the kind I know.

P. M. — To Flint’s Pond via Saw Mill Brook. Aster Tradescanti, apparently a day or two. Hypo- pitys, just beyond the last large (two-stemmed) chestnut at Saw Mill Brook, about done. Apparently a fungus- like plant. It erects itself in seed. Gymnadenia nearer the brook, how long? Is that slender erect shrub near oak stump at Saw Mill Cornus circinata ? * Solidago odora abundantly out. The low wood-paths are strewn with toadstools now, and I begin to perceive their musty scent, — great tumbae, or, as R. W. E. says, tuguria, — crowding one another by the path-side when there was not a fellow in sight; great towers that have fallen and made the plain shake; ponderous wheels that have lost their fellows, broken their axles, abandoned by the toady or swampy teamsters. Some whose eaves have been nibbled apparently by turtles. Ricketson says he saw a turtle eating a toadstool once. Some great dull-yellow towers, — towers of strength, to judge from their mighty columns, —like the South African honey- birds’ (?) nests. The recent heavy rains have caused many leaves to fall, especially chestnut. They already spot the ground, rapidly yellowing and very handsomely spotted. I never weary of their colors. I see those eye-spots on the low hickory leaves also. All the Flint’s Pond wood-paths are strewn with these gay-spotted chestnut leaves, and the changing sarsaparilla leaves begin to yellow the forest floor. Sedum Telephium, some time. Flowering blackberry * still. A short elliptic-leaved Lespedeza violacea, loose and open in Veery Nest Path, at Flint’s Pond. In press. On roadside heap at Emerson’s, a portulaca with leaves one inch wide and seven petals (!) instead of five.

Friday. P. M.— To Minot Pratt’s.

8 a. mM. — To Cassia Field. Chenopodium hybridum, a tall rank weed, five feet at least, dark-green, with a heavy (poisonous?) odor compared to that of stramonium; great maple(?)- shaped leaves. How deadly this peculiar heavy odor! Diplopappus linarvifolvus, apparently several days. Ambrosia pollen now begins to yellow my clothes. Cynoglossum officinale, a long time, mostly gone to seed, at Bull’s Path and north roadside below Lep- pleman’s. Its great radical leaves made me think of smooth mullein. The flower has a very peculiar, rather sickening odor; Sophia thought like a warm apple pie just from the oven (I did not perceive this). A pretty flower, however. I thoughtlessly put a hand- ful of the nutlets into my pocket with my handkerchief. But it took me a long time to pick them out [of] my handkerchief when I got home, and I pulled out many threads in the process.

P. M.— Walked with Minot Pratt be- hind his house.