"I turn two down,
And you're a peacock."
and at the same time turn these petals down as they are in [Fig. 97]. You will see right away that the turned-down petals at the sides are the wings, the upright petal at the back is the tail, and the closed middle part is the body. The tipped-up point of the body part makes a very good head for the little sweet-pea peacock.
Fig.98 - The blossoms of the cultivated Snapdragon are large.
Snapdragon—Lady's Head and Lion's Head
The magic that turns a blossom of the large, cultivated snapdragon into a little lady's head, upon which rests a dainty, ruffled sunbonnet, or into a ferocious-looking lion's head, is the magic of pen and ink, not of rhyme.
| Fig.99 - The Snapdragon Lady's Head | Fig.100 - The Snapdragon Lion's Head. |
The blossoms of the cultivated snapdragon are very much larger than those of its wild cousin, called by some people butter-and-eggs, but the cultivated flowers grow on a stalk in the same way as the wild ones. You would hardly recognize the cultivated flowers as snapdragons because of their size and wonderful colors. A sure test is to pinch one; if it opens its mouth it is a real snapdragon; if it doesn't it is not; but you must know how to pinch it, else it may refuse to snap.