102 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 



phere. We say the air "smells like spring," it is a 

 "regular autumn day," and so forth, conceding 

 in these statements to each of the seasons certain 

 definite conditions which appeal to enough of the 

 senses to create an "atmosphere." And unques- 

 tionably to no sense is the appeal of the season more 

 direct than to the sight. Thoreau showed his rec- 

 ognition of this when he claimed that if he were 

 put to sleep in a swamp, he could tell the time of 

 year by the plants that bloomed about him. 



There is an association of certain colours with 

 each of the seasons, which must be appreciated 

 when flowers are considered in the order of their 

 annual bloom. 



In the spring, the childhood of the year, the deli- 

 cate or "baby" colours predominate; soft blues, 

 dainty pinks, and pretty yellows being especially 

 in evidence. There are the tiny forget-me-nots, 

 blue violets, and bluets; the yellow jonquils, cow- 

 slips, buttercups, and dandelions; and the sweet 

 trailing arbutus, and the redbud, a charming pink 

 blossom that fills the woods of the South during the 

 spring months. 



As the summer months draw on, the character 

 development of the year's flowers becomes apparent 

 in the strengthening of their tones. The pink of 

 spring becomes the red of June roses, and intro- 



