Trees, Shrubs and Vines 



skies kiss the earth, the larches are sprinkled full of buds 

 of rarest green ; the honey-locust spreads a semi-trans- 

 parent feathery canopy above your head that in clear 

 May-light becomes a perfect dream of emerald; the 

 large-toothed aspen now gives the illusion of a leafless 

 tree in full white bloom ; for each small leaf, like a cra- 

 dled child of luxury, is deep buried in soft wool. Soon 

 the white oak's opening buds almost rival the arbutus's 

 delicacy of pink and white, and the weeping willow is 

 wrapped in a sheen of gold. Wonderful are the in- 

 numerable artist-touches in the scenes that usher in the 

 year. But one must be alert to catch the quick-dissolv- 

 ing views that make stupendous panoramas of our April 

 and May days, scene melting into scene like transient 

 dreams, and, ere Ave realize it, all the peculiar charms 

 of spring have disappeared, only to live in memory 

 until another year. 



No plant is so plebeian as not to arouse a naturalist's 

 enthusiasm when it can give to his hungry eyes some 

 characteristic token of a reviving year that is always to 

 be brighter and happier than the last — a fond mistake 

 often made, and as often forgotten. No blossoms of all 

 the year have quite the aroma and ravishing color of 

 the earliest spring flowers ; coming when the landscape 

 is still drear, yet beautiful with the charm of an open- 

 ing year, they are spiced with that best flavor of all 

 happiness — expectancy. 



In the same category as the fox sparrow, that warbles 

 his rich, plaintive song in leafless trees, the trillium, that 

 sends up fair white petals out of oozy ground, and all 

 such welcome harbingers of spring, is the common lit- 



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