264 



NATURE FOR ITS OWN SAKE 



In a few weeks there is a very noticeable 

 change in the whilom March woodlands. The 

 young trees begin to show dull red in their 

 smaller twigs. A reddish hue spreads all along 

 the bordering fringe at the top. It is the first 

 positive color-note of spring, though in the 

 small trees and bushes it is seen all winter long. 

 As the warm sun starts the sap the color begins 

 to brighten. The swamp trees with their roots 

 in the water show it first of all, and then 

 others join in until at last there is a distinct 

 hue of dull red running through all the woods. 

 The buds swell and begin to open just a 

 little, a fuzziness muffles the sharp outlines of 

 the branches, and the next color-note is a mist of 

 pale yellow, mingled with the pinks, grays, and 

 whites of the buds and the reds and yellows of 

 the stems. A few weeks more and the leaves 

 are out enough to thicken the view, obscure the 

 tree lines, and cast a yellow-green hue over 

 the forest. The grass has at this time grown 

 long on the meadows and is deep green in color, 

 but the foliage of the trees comes later. The 

 chlorophyll in the leaf-cells is not strong 

 enough yet to show the dark green of mid- 

 summer. The young leaves are all tender in 

 hue, shiny, coated with a varnish at times ; and 



