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Overview
"Opens a vista discovery that is fascinating to the ordinary lover of wild flowers." - New Outlook 1904
"Full of suggestions for the orchid hunter in all parts of the country." - Public Opinion, 1904
"Reflects in its pages her enthusiasm as a bog-trotter.'' - The Plant World 1904
"Well written, recommended to all lovers of Nature and of flowers." - The Saturday Review 1905
"Charming book." - The Orchid Review, 1907
Most people are accustomed to think of the orchid as a tropical flower, growing in luxuriant South American forests or in Indian jungles. To learn that there are from 27 to 30 genera and from 150 to 160 species of native orchids found in North America, north of Mexico, opens a vista of study and discovery that is fascinating to the ordinary lover of wild flowers.
Miss Niles, an ardent collector and botanist, records in her 1904 book "Bog-trotting for Orchids" her adventures on many an orchid-hunting ramble in the Hoosac Valley, which lies in the Taconic Mountains that are situated in Vermont and Berkshire County, Massachusetts. "Bog-trotting" reflects in its pages her enthusiasm as a bog-trotter and her appreciation of the beauties of orchids in the wild state. The results of her searches were surprisingly fruitful.
Of the 71 species of Orchidaceae that are found in the North Atlantic region, about 42 flourish in the Hoosac Valley. All of these have interest and many are of great beauty, especially, amongst others that might be named, the large yellow Moccasinflower, the Showy Lady's Slipper, the pink Moccasin-flower and the fragrant white Moccasin-flower. It is sad to learn from Miss Niles' pages that even in these secluded regions where a few years ago she found them in abundance, hardly a trace of their kind now remains. They are recklessly dug up by visitors.
Miss Niles's faithful and minute account of her search for orchids in the sphagnum bogs and the marshes of the Hoosac Valley will be of much interest to orchid-lovers; but it is a bold spirit who will go and do likewise, for the perilous footing in the orchid-haunts is a very different thing from botanizing by the roadside with a How-to book.
In describing the difficulties in finding orchids in the wild, Niles writes:
"It is in the deepest and most secluded swamps that the shy orchid blooms, far beyond the realm of lawn or garden. Few indeed realise what a world of beauty and order lies sleeping unsought and unseen in the mossy recesses of our mountains—a wonderland of discovery to any one who persistently, though reverently, seeks to lure from Nature the secret of her deep retreats."
The first part of '' Bog-Trotting'' is devoted to a series of chapters giving interesting accounts of various trips to special regions, or in search of particular species. The second part of the book is occupied with a synopsis of the New England orchids, each genus and species being described.
Niles does not confine her attention to orchids. She has an eye for other flowers, for insect, bird, and beast, whenever they add interest to the outing. The book abounds in historic notes and allusions, quaint bits of plant lore and nomenclature, which add to the charm; while the tireless energy of the plant-hunter, her many schemes for attaining her object, and the remarkable success which crowned her search, make the volume one of well-sustained interest.
That the orchid, beyond all other flowers, inspires in its collectors a veritable passion—"a love passing the love of women" — is again exemplified in this record of tireless and indefatigable "Bog-Trotting.
"Full of suggestions for the orchid hunter in all parts of the country." - Public Opinion, 1904
"Reflects in its pages her enthusiasm as a bog-trotter.'' - The Plant World 1904
"Well written, recommended to all lovers of Nature and of flowers." - The Saturday Review 1905
"Charming book." - The Orchid Review, 1907
Most people are accustomed to think of the orchid as a tropical flower, growing in luxuriant South American forests or in Indian jungles. To learn that there are from 27 to 30 genera and from 150 to 160 species of native orchids found in North America, north of Mexico, opens a vista of study and discovery that is fascinating to the ordinary lover of wild flowers.
Miss Niles, an ardent collector and botanist, records in her 1904 book "Bog-trotting for Orchids" her adventures on many an orchid-hunting ramble in the Hoosac Valley, which lies in the Taconic Mountains that are situated in Vermont and Berkshire County, Massachusetts. "Bog-trotting" reflects in its pages her enthusiasm as a bog-trotter and her appreciation of the beauties of orchids in the wild state. The results of her searches were surprisingly fruitful.
Of the 71 species of Orchidaceae that are found in the North Atlantic region, about 42 flourish in the Hoosac Valley. All of these have interest and many are of great beauty, especially, amongst others that might be named, the large yellow Moccasinflower, the Showy Lady's Slipper, the pink Moccasin-flower and the fragrant white Moccasin-flower. It is sad to learn from Miss Niles' pages that even in these secluded regions where a few years ago she found them in abundance, hardly a trace of their kind now remains. They are recklessly dug up by visitors.
Miss Niles's faithful and minute account of her search for orchids in the sphagnum bogs and the marshes of the Hoosac Valley will be of much interest to orchid-lovers; but it is a bold spirit who will go and do likewise, for the perilous footing in the orchid-haunts is a very different thing from botanizing by the roadside with a How-to book.
In describing the difficulties in finding orchids in the wild, Niles writes:
"It is in the deepest and most secluded swamps that the shy orchid blooms, far beyond the realm of lawn or garden. Few indeed realise what a world of beauty and order lies sleeping unsought and unseen in the mossy recesses of our mountains—a wonderland of discovery to any one who persistently, though reverently, seeks to lure from Nature the secret of her deep retreats."
The first part of '' Bog-Trotting'' is devoted to a series of chapters giving interesting accounts of various trips to special regions, or in search of particular species. The second part of the book is occupied with a synopsis of the New England orchids, each genus and species being described.
Niles does not confine her attention to orchids. She has an eye for other flowers, for insect, bird, and beast, whenever they add interest to the outing. The book abounds in historic notes and allusions, quaint bits of plant lore and nomenclature, which add to the charm; while the tireless energy of the plant-hunter, her many schemes for attaining her object, and the remarkable success which crowned her search, make the volume one of well-sustained interest.
That the orchid, beyond all other flowers, inspires in its collectors a veritable passion—"a love passing the love of women" — is again exemplified in this record of tireless and indefatigable "Bog-Trotting.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940185679012 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Far West Travel Adventure |
| Publication date: | 08/23/2022 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Grace Greylock Niles (1864-1943) was an American botanist, author, and artist. Born as Grace Stoddard Niles, she attended Pownal schools and later a private school, which might have been in Herkimer, New York.[2] She returned to Pownal to teach school and to pursue a writing career. In 1902, she published The Origin of Plant Names, adopting Greylock as her middle name (from Mount Greylock and Chief Gray Lock). In 1904, she published Bog-trotting for Orchids with her own illustrations. She continued to publish articles on local history and nature.
She moved to New York City around 1910, to serve as a private nurse, but stuck to her geographical and name base, writing "The Greylock Park Reservation" in 1911 about the Massachusetts park just south of Pownal. The following year she published "The Hoosac Valley," followed by "The North American Cypripediums" (orchids). While she had been returning to Pownal summers, she moved back full time in 1918, at the age of 54. She settled on family land, which now belongs to The Trustees of Reservations and is called Mountain Meadow Preserve.
By 1921, her behavior became erratic, and she began harassing her neighbors. She seems to have deliberately burned down her own house. A distant relative summoned the Bennington County sheriff, who drove her to the Brattleboro Retreat. There she was incarcerated and died in 1943.
She moved to New York City around 1910, to serve as a private nurse, but stuck to her geographical and name base, writing "The Greylock Park Reservation" in 1911 about the Massachusetts park just south of Pownal. The following year she published "The Hoosac Valley," followed by "The North American Cypripediums" (orchids). While she had been returning to Pownal summers, she moved back full time in 1918, at the age of 54. She settled on family land, which now belongs to The Trustees of Reservations and is called Mountain Meadow Preserve.
By 1921, her behavior became erratic, and she began harassing her neighbors. She seems to have deliberately burned down her own house. A distant relative summoned the Bennington County sheriff, who drove her to the Brattleboro Retreat. There she was incarcerated and died in 1943.
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