330 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



grounds. We should do this while they 

 are in the dormant state. Thus we need 

 to recognize our trees and shrubs in 

 their winter undress, as we can gener- 

 ally do by the leaf buds. 



The beech and the birches may be 

 differentiated thus : Most of them have 



A REVELRY OF BUDS READY FOR "THE 

 BURST." 



pointed buds, but the buds of the beech 

 are longest and sharpest, and are 

 brownish at the base, becoming almost 

 yellow at the tip. The smooth gray 

 bark is another indication, as also are 

 the dried leaves of a pale yellow color 

 which often cling to the twigs and flut- 

 ter softly in the wind. 



The black birch has pointed buds of 

 medium length, and with much the 

 same color as those of the beech ; but 

 they are often mounted on little woody 

 necks, as shown in the sketch. The 

 glossy black bark and its delicious 

 "birchy" flavor, even in winter, are sure 

 guides to this tree. 



The yellow birch has pointed buds, 

 more yellow in color and much shorter 

 than those previously mentioned. The 

 yellow twigs and the shiny trunk, 

 which peels in a shabby, ragged fash- 

 ion, will assure us that we have found 

 a yellow birch. 



You might expect no trouble in im- 

 mediately recognizing the lovely white 

 birch, but in early youth it has a way 

 of disguising itself under a dark brown 

 bark, which turns white as the tree ad- 

 vances toward maturity. We must 

 therefore learn to know it by its oblong, 

 subspherical buds, with sometimes a 

 slight point, and with scales long and 

 dark. A catkin too sometimes dangles 

 from the tip of a twig. 



The hard and useful ironwood has 

 somewhat pointed buds, but the oddly 

 fluted trunk and fine twigs, twisted in- 

 to strange, decorative forms, will help 

 us to know it out of season. 



The sugar maple bears small, sharp 

 Ijuds in opposite pairs, as shown in the 

 sketch. In the first warm days i'.s 

 sweet sap is a sure guide to it. 



The swamp maple produces round, 

 red buds in close clusters at short in- 

 tervals on the young twigs. Early in 

 the spring they burst into bloom ; in 

 the autum,n this tree is the most re- 

 ^plendent of all. 



We are fortunate in having a lirge 

 number of native shrubs that bear 

 beautiful flowers in quantity and in 

 close succession. 



The hawthorn buds are so minute as 

 to be scarcely visible, but there is no 

 mistaking their thorns. 



The spicebush is covered with lunn- 

 erous spherical buds, which look like 

 a host of little yellow-green beads. 



