138 A NATURALIST IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION 



lady's-slipper, hepatica, May apple, Geranium maculatum, 

 Canada violet, the long-spurred violet, and rattlesnake root are 

 characteristic and indicate the approach of the climax forest 

 association which will be discussed in a later chapter. 



The elms are known by their vase shape and by the fact that 

 the buds come out on opposite sides of the twigs so that the 

 branch with its twigs is always flat, spread out fanwise. The 



FIG. 135. Mixed oak-dune area. Note large white oak, Quercus alba, in 

 center of picture; near it are red oaks, Q. r ultra. 



last feature is also common to the basswood, and these are the 

 only trees in our area that do possess this character. The bass- 

 wood has large heart-shaped leaves, lopsided at the base. The 

 bark of the tree is smooth, except that it is often riddled with the 

 holes of the sapsucker arranged in rows around the trunk. 

 Water beech (Fig. 137) has a fluted trunk with smooth bark. 

 Hop hornbeam has a finely shredded bark that pulls off in long 

 stringy strips. Both these trees have leaves that resemble those 

 of the elm. 



