THE LANDSCAPE 



233 



402. Overgrowth and undergrowth in three series, 

 trees, bushes, grass. 



If the bank is examined in May, look for the young plants 



that are to cover it in July and October; if in September, 



find the dead stalks of the flora of May. What succeeds 



the skunk cabbage, hepaticas, trilliums, phlox, violets, butter- 



cups of spring? 



What precedes the 



wild sunflowers, 



ragweed, asters, 



and goldenrod in 



fall? 



394. In lands 

 that gradually rise 

 from wet to dry, 

 the societies may 

 take the form of 

 belts or zones. Start- 

 ing at a shore, walk 

 back into the high 



land; note the changes in the flora. Three zones are shown 

 in Fig. 403. 



395. To a large extent, the color of the landscape is 

 determined by the character of the plant societies. Ever- 

 green societies remain green, but the shade of green varies 

 from season to season; it is bright and soft in spring, becomes 

 dull in midsummer and fall, and often assumes a dull yel- 

 low-green in winter. Deciduous societies vary remarkably 

 in color from the dull browns and grays of winter to the 

 brown-greens and olive-greens of spring, the staid greens of 

 summer, and the brilliant colors of autumn. 



396. The autumn colors are due to intermingled shades 

 of green, yellow and red. The coloration varies with the 

 kind of plant, the special location and the season. Even 

 in the same species or kind, individual plants differ in color; 

 and this individuality usually distinguishes the plant year 

 by year. That is, an oak that is maroon-red this autumn 



