102 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 
phere. We say the air “smells like spring,” it is a 
“regular autumn day,” and so forth, conceding 
in these statements to each of the seasons certain 
definite conditions which appeal to enough of the 
senses to create an “atmosphere.” And unques- 
tionably to no sense is the appeal of the season more 
direct than to the sight. Thoreau showed his rec- 
ognition of this when he claimed that if he were 
put to sleep in a swamp, he could tell the time of 
year by the plants that bloomed about him. 
There is an association of certain colours with 
each of the seasons, which must be appreciated 
when flowers are considered in the order of their 
annual bloom. 
In the spring, the childhood of the year, the deli- 
cate or “baby” colours predominate; soft blues, 
dainty pinks, and pretty yellows being especially 
in evidence. There are the tiny forget-me-nots, 
blue violets, and bluets; the yellow jonquils, cow- 
slips, buttercups, and dandelions; and the sweet 
trailing arbutus, and the redbud, a charming pink 
blossom that fills the woods of the South during the 
spring months. 
As the summer months draw on, the character 
development of the year’s flowers becomes apparent 
in the strengthening of their tones. The pink of 
spring becomes the red of June roses, and intro- 
