Along the Lakeside—Third Excursion 
The sophora blossoms late in summer, bearing com- 
pound clusters or panicles of whitish flowers not particu- 
larly ornamental. An American species quite similar is 
found in the far west and south. In every prominent 
aspect it is as unlike the red-bud as possible, yet they 
stand almost side by side in botany, which illustrates 
how unlike are the points of view of the scientist and 
the mere nature-loving observer. 
ButTTonwoop.—Widely distributed throughout the 
country is the buttonwood, a group of which, near the 
north end of our route, are among the more imposing 
trees of the Park, but in their wild growth in the Eastern 
States they cannot usually command much admiration. 
But there are buttonwoods and buttonwoods; a man 
may be handicapped by his environment as well as by 
his ancestry, and often only needs transplanting into 
surroundings that will bring out all there is in him, 
and]jsurprise both himself and his friends. This has 
evidently been the happy lot of the Park buttonwoods— 
called sycamores in the West—and this particular cluster 
is one of the noblest there. It is in winter that their 
stately trunks, wide-reaching massive limbs, and smooth 
yellowish bark are brought into full relief, and emphasize 
the desirability of studying such growths in their bared 
forms as much as when nearly concealed by foliage. In 
most buttonwoods the thin bark flakes off in large irreg- 
ular patches, much to the detriment of its good looks, 
but those referred to are unusually smooth. 
As a rule, in woody plants the incipient bud of 
next year’s growth may be distinctly seen in the angle 
Io! 
