122 



AUTUMN AND WINTER 



seed-time. The same is true of the stinking iris, or gladden, 

 which grows freely in many chalk and limestone woods, and 

 on clay cliffs. The veined, exotic-looking blossoms open 

 about midsummer, and their flower-time is over early in 

 July. By October the pods burst, and reveal rows of bright 

 scarlet berries ; and these grow more and more conspicuous 

 as the pod-husks wither into leathery blackness as winter 

 goes on. The seed-heads of this iris are more vivid though 

 not more striking than the flower. Most 

 remarkable of all is the autumn splendour 

 which comes over the spindle-tree. In 

 spring and summer it is a mean and scanty 

 shrub, with small greenish-white blossoms 

 and dull leaves which are particularly 

 subject to the ravages of sawfly larvae. 

 In autumn all is changed : the leaves turn 

 a brilliant crimson, but they are outshone 

 by the beauty of the berries. At first these 

 form light clusters of carmine-red ; but soon 

 each lobed fruit splits, and shows inner 

 seeds of brilliant orange, set in the carmine 

 shell. If spared by birds these linger long 

 on the twigs, and shine in the naked hedge- 

 rows. No more brilliant winter picture could be seen in 

 England than one which comes back to memory of a troop 

 of half-wild golden pheasants climbing among the spindle- 

 trees in a snowy wood, and tearing at the pink and orange 

 berries. 



Sand-dunes, marshes, and mountains foster berries of 

 their own peculiar kind. On sandy coastlines the orange 

 berries of the sea buckthorn ripen in late summer and early 

 autumn among its hoary leaves. The contrast is beautiful 

 and unusual ; for though the silvery colour of the leaves 



FRUIT OF WILD ARUM 



