372 ] Trees and How to Know Them 



course decorate or paint the box in advance, and the tape may be 

 colored to provide an even more handsome setting. 



Some Spring Beauties 



When we look forward to flowers that bloom in the spring, 

 we usually have in mind the small, shy blossoms of woodlands 

 and meadows. However, certain trees make a gorgeous if brief 

 display with their flowers. If any of these are within reasonable 

 traveling distance of your home, you will be well rewarded if 

 you keep track of the best time to see them. There is a great 

 delight in viewing the massed array of their colors. 



FLOWERING DOGWOODS 



The flowering dogwood with its beautiful mass of showy 

 white flowers is among the loveliest of all trees. It blooms from 

 late April to early June, depending on the locality. The spec- 

 tacular part of its display is not actually the flower, but four white 

 or pink bracts specialized leaves that look like large petals. 



Your first chance to see these bracts comes in wintertime when, 

 as purplish-brown scales, they are wrapped snugly about the flower 

 buds. In early spring these scales grow rapidly and spread out. 

 The artistic notch on the tip of each bract is telltale evidence of 

 its winter form. The true flowers, which are yellow green and 

 inconspicuous, cluster at the base of the four bracts. Such a cluster 

 consists of about twenty bracts. 



MAGNOLIAS 



The display put on by tulip trees (members of the mag- 

 nolia family) is another sight to reward a journey to the country, 

 though you may also find them on lawns or along city streets. 

 The large greenish-yellow and orange tulip-like flowers that give 

 the tree its name show themselves among the glossy leaves of late 

 spring and early summer. 



We find the magnolia tree beautifying many a park and lawn 

 with its striking pink and white flowers. Scattered over forest 

 areas are seven other species of magnolia, all of tree size. One of 



