MAY. 245 



expands. Similar hues may be observed in the tender 

 branches of many shrubs, as in those of the sumach, before 

 they are hardened into wood. The young leaves of the 

 whortleberry bushes, of the cornels, the sumachs, and viburn- 

 ums, all brio;htly tinted in autumn, with purple, crimson and 

 orange, exhibit lighter shades of the same colors in their half 

 expanded foliage. 



The locust, on the contrary, unmarked by a single tint in 

 the autumn, is seen arrayed in a light verditure at this season, 

 unmixed with any other hues. The poplars and willows that 

 incline to yellow after the harvest, show the same yellow in 

 the tinges of their vernal leaf, that gives them a remarkably 

 lively hue. Their golden and purple aments add to this 

 brilliancy, which is also in harmony with their light green 

 and silvery spray. The birches have the same brilliant ver- 

 dure, contrasted with the dark purple of their small branches, 

 that renders their hues the more distinct and beautiful. It is 

 all these different tendencies in the hues of the expanding 

 foliage, that afford the woods such a charming variety of 

 shades during the present month ; and it seems to be the de- 

 sign of nature to foretoken, in the infancy of the plants, some 

 of those habits that mark both their maturity and theirdecline, 

 by giving them a faint shade of those colors that distinguish 

 them in autumn. 



If we take our stand on an elevation that overlooks an ex- 

 tensively wooded country, which is diversified with wayside 

 trees and orchards, we may witness the full charm of this va- 

 riety. The elms, which in this part of the country are chiefly 

 found by our roadsides, and in the enclosures of our dwell- 

 ings, have shed their brown and purple blossoms ; and their 

 light green foliage, varying greatly in individuals, is mostly 

 observed in solitary masses, or in occasional rows along the 

 streets. The elm is in the perfection of its beauty at this 

 time, when its verdure is marked by a brilliancy that fades be- 

 fore midsummer. After June, the foliage of the elm is dull 

 and lifeless in its hues; and the tree is beautiful only on ac- 

 count of the flowing outline and graceful sweep of its 

 branches. 



