42 IRambles wttb mature Students 



soon as this hazel flower is fully expanded its anthers 

 containing the pollen will split open, and the first 

 passing breeze will scatter an abundance of the light 

 powder into the air ; some of it is sure to fall upon 

 the crimson stigmas projecting from the brown buds ; 

 thus the future nut is fertilised, and is enabled to grow 

 and mature into those welcome nut-clusters which we 



ALDER CATKIN 



(Showing male and female 



flowers). 



look for in the autumn hedges. Towards the end of 

 this month we shall find the alder catkins (Alnus 

 glutinosd} beginning to ripen and shed out their pollen. 

 They somewhat resemble the hazel, only they are of a 

 brownish red, and the future cones appear in the form 

 of a small spray of dark crimson buds, usually found 

 close to the hanging catkin, and it too is fertilised in 

 the same manner as the hazel. 



