Marsh Symphony 219 



the constant shifts in the marsh color design. The method is 

 really simple: each plant has its distinctive annual cycle, its 

 own structural form, and its own response to the effects of 

 maturity. Each occupies certain definite spots in the area. 

 When the effects produced by each of these three massed 

 plants are combined, they establish the general design of the 

 marsh and are responsible for its pleasing colors and textures. 

 It is in effect a battle of living colors and textures. The 

 progress is the same each year and can be illustrated by con- 

 sidering one of the three plants. Each spring I see the choco- 

 late-brown framework of last year's loosestrife standing erect 

 and staunch enough so that it becomes the principal frame- 

 work of the tule wren's nest. The whole marsh pattern then 

 is one of various shades of dull browns. As the new growth 

 begins, it is supported by the stems of the old plants through 

 which it pushes. I watch the plants grow rapidly, their stems 

 branching and growing rapidly each day, the whole plant 

 becoming yellow-green as the leaves open, and its living 

 color gradually submerging the dead tones of the previous 

 season. Eventually the plants attain their full size and crowd 

 the surrounding vegetation. I await the budding in late June, 

 and in early July the whole marsh commences to fill with 

 great blotches of color. Each foot-long spike is crowded with 

 delicate flowers more often of a red or deep rose rather than 

 a purple. In its fullest period the bloom often overshadows 

 the greens. Wherever I paddle I see color— at the other end 

 of the marsh, in the middle distance, and on the bank by my 

 side. The heads, particularly in exposed places, freely show 

 variation in shape and for some reason are often irregular so 

 that they hang stiffly or follow a curving line as if some per- 

 son had bent them deliberately. In places where the tops of 

 the plants have sagged toward the water, the blooms make 

 a waist-high band of solid color. The show remains at its 

 best for perhaps three weeks. This is the time when I see the 

 few marsh turtles enjoying the hot sun, and when the birds 



