i io SHRUBS AND AUTUMN TINTS [CH. 



It is interesting to notice how the season of autumn 

 seems specially to combine what is beautiful and useful 

 fruits that are " pleasant to the eye and good for food." 

 Autumn is not merely the season of harvest for man, but 

 for the lower creatures. All the bright berries on the 

 Mountain Ash and Hawthorn which satisfy one's sense 

 of beauty in our autumn rambles help also to satisfy 

 our feathered friends when hard frosts have spoilt their 

 sport in other directions. 



The flowers which most abound at the approach of 

 winter are the blossoms of the Ivy. We can scarcely 

 imagine anything more lovely than a group of old forest 

 tree roots, with their great prongs turned upwards, all 

 covered with a luxuriant growth of Golden or Silver Ivy, 

 interspersed with sprays of the Muhlenbeckia. The bees 

 busy themselves as soon as ever the Ivy first begins to 

 bloom, and when they have gone to sleep the berries 

 will have formed on all these Ivy stems, and will provide 

 a winter store for many a day to come for such of the 

 birds as have vegetarian instincts. 



It is strange how seldom one meets a well-grown 

 plant of Elceagnus in a shrubbery, and yet it is perfectly 

 lovely both in summer and autumn. 



Olearia (Daisy Tree), formerly known as Eurybia, a 

 large family from Australia and New Zealand. It is 

 very closely allied to the Aster, whose home is America. 

 These trees are not yet perfectly acclimatised, and need 

 some care and a warm aspect. Insignis, Haasti, and 

 Nitida are all beautiful. 



