SEASONAL CHANGES 



173 



composed of seven leaflets ; again at right angles to these are 

 two more, and so on. In the section, only seven leaflets, although 

 the ash has eleven leaflets, for all are not cut through. 



A very noticeable feature in leaves when they first come out 

 is their fluffiness, owing to the downy covering of their surfaces. 

 One of the trees in which this is most remarkable is the White 

 Beam tree (Pyrus Aria), which can be distinguished from other 

 trees in a wood by the white, woolly appearance of the budding 

 leaves. The horse-chestnut also shows this well. The length 

 to which a shoot may grow in one season varies very much ; 

 it may be only an inch or two, it may be more than a metre. 

 Something depends on the age of the tree, on the season, on the 

 soil, and on its environment 

 generally. Trees, however, 

 which do not like shade seem 

 to form long shoots very 

 rapidly ; the birch, the ash, the 

 alder struggle up into the light 

 as quickly as possible. Short 

 shoots, on the other hand, are 

 common in the beech, in the 

 oak, and in pines ; in many 

 cases the same tree will have 

 both long and short shoots, 

 as different circumstances will 

 affect each year's growth. 



Many trees flower before 

 the leaves come out ; in some cases, as in willows and osiers, 

 to secure insect - pollination. Where the flowers are insigni- 

 ficant they are often grouped together in catkins, and are 

 conspicuous by their number or scent ; rosaceous trees as a 

 rule have showy flowers, which blossom before the leaves ; the 

 Blackthorn and the Almond are well-known examples. A 

 Nature Study lesson might well be given on the time of flower- 

 ing of the trees within reach of a school and on their methods 

 of pollination ; about May, when the flowers of many trees are 

 out, would be a good time to choose. Later in the summer the 

 fruits and seeds, with their methods of dispersion, would form 



FIG. 5 1 .Leaf-bud of Ash. (Transverse 

 section.) 



