60 iRambles wttb IRature Stufcents 



produce its huge cones in England. There are male 

 and female trees; the cones of the former will shed 

 out more than a wineglassful of yellow pollens The 

 strange-looking seeds which fall out of the fertile cones 

 are sure to attract attention as they lie on the grass 

 by their peculiar form and large size. 



POPLAR CATKINS 



The flowers of various species of poplar are now 

 appearing, and form an interesting subject for study. 

 1 have obtained to-day the catkins of the aspen 



(Populus tremula), the 

 abele or white poplar 

 (P. alba), the Lom- 

 bardy poplar (P 

 nigrd), and the grey 

 poplar (P. canescens). 

 A slight shower had 



WHITE POPLAR brought Qut the per _ 



(MALE CATKIN). f ume o f the buds and 

 blossoms of the balsam 

 poplar or tacamahac 

 (P. balsamifera) 

 which has very con- 

 spicuous catkins of a 

 bright reddish-brown. 

 As most of these 

 trees flower mainly on 

 the upper branches, where we cannot reach the 

 catkins, we must be content to pick them up, as I 

 did to-day, beneath the trees, where they look 

 extremely like red and brown caterpillars. 



Poplars are all dioecious trees ; that is, bearing 

 flowers with stamens on one tree and flowers con- 



