They have, contrary to the old song, something to do with this case. Just at present the low elevations are coming into their own -- heralding the approach of the time when Nature's brush shall paint the sub-alpine meadows in the brilliant colors of the Paintbrush, the Lupine and the Heathers. But that period is still in the future, for these valleys are still buried beneath many feet of snow, and so the wooded regions at the lower elevations are now possessed of our first springtime flowers.

The first to be actually seen blooming in the Park was the Sweet Coltsfoot, followed closely by the Trillium, which sparkled for a few days against the deep green back ground of the forest floor, gradually shading to purple and then dropping its petals. Now the woods are filled with large patches of Wood Sorrel which attracts a great deal of attention because of its leaves which bear a striking resemblance to those of clover. Here and there we find the Ladyslipper -- a dainty flower whose name is descriptive; Salmonberry is also quite in evidence (next fall a large salmon colored or orange berry will be the characteristic feature of this plant). The leaves of the Devil's Club are now almost full grown and soon this plant will form an attractive part of the tangled undergrowth which characterizes these low, moist woodlands. However the woodsman is not fooled by the attractive foliage of this plant -- Devil's Club is very appropriately named having countless sharp spines that do not add to one's comfort when traveling "cross country" through the brush. Sweet-after-death, Canadian Dogwood, Twisted Stalk, Oregon Grape and many others contribute to this early low land flower display.