Marsh Symphony 221 



plants slump and their leaves wither. The constant soft- 

 swaying movement so typical of cattail areas in the summer 

 breeze will cease and only the stiffness of maturity will re- 

 main. 



The effect of all this convinces me that the program of 

 marsh decoration may be compared to that type of music 

 which emphasizes one specific strain which it plays and re- 

 plays with endless variations. The theme of the marsh is the 

 gradual change from the browns of winter to the greens of 

 summer and again to the brown of winter. The transitions 

 are simple but they are enriched from end to end: in color by 

 the combination of the countless shades which the plants 

 assume in their annual cycle; and in texture by the altera- 

 tions in their physical structure as they thrust their new 

 growth through the ground, rise to maturity, and then slip 

 into the decay of late fall. 



