REDBUD (Judas Tree) 

 Cercis canadensis L. 



April With the delirious scent of wikl phnn l)lossonis even- 



Woods, thickets w hcif ah)ny: the country roads and alony tlie til^zes of 



woods, there comes tiie hlurrin«i- of purple-rose color of 

 the ii'dl)ud trees. Now the small ]u':i-siiaped llowers burst from bare l>lack 

 steius wliirh seemed, oidy a week or so ago. almost as dead as fire-iharred 

 wood. Xow they arc alive: thev are coven'd with beauty and i-i«lor. 



They eouie together, llie wild plum blossouis and the redbud.-. and 

 with llieiii. as a iiei-Jeet ((iiiipleiMcut iu eolor. is the pali> gulden green of 

 the new willow leaves. 'Tlie-e are anu)ng the lirst tangible ehanges in the 

 landstape— now alter an .April rain tluMV are those masses of ])ink, those 

 masses of white, those veiling^ of pale green whei'e the willows stautl. 

 And ioi- a. nionieii! in 'Time it is the most beautiful and nu)st welcome 

 sight in all the world. 



Kedbud grows alnu)st everywluMv in woods in the southern two-thirds 

 of Illinois. It bbbs; ms whi'u the trees are still small, and continues while 

 the gnarled, blaek-barked trees grow older and older, until that annual 

 burst of i»ink llowers seems almost ineongruou- in one so aged. There is 

 a nice gradation of color on tlic redbuds. When the carmine buds o]ien 

 on the black twigs, they send out thin, pink stems with slim, pointed buds 

 of bright dec|) pink, deeper on the calyx. Then when the llower opens, it 

 bleaches to a palei- pink w hile tlse calyx remains almost red, the thin .-teni 

 lavender-])ink. Among the mass(>s of llowers, crisp against the blue Apiil 

 sky, ilit the wide-eyed, little ruby-crowne<l kinglets, sleek and green, on 

 their wav to the northwoods to nest. 



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