VINES AND CLIMBING PLANTS. 
270 
and its foliage, when it clothes thickly a high wall, or folds 
itself in clustering wreaths around the trunk and branches 
of an open tree, is extremely handsome and showy. Al- 
though the leaves are not evergreen, like those of the Ivy, 
yet in autumn they far surpass those of that plant in the 
rich and gorgeous coloring which they then assume. 
Numberless trees may be seen in the countiy by the road 
side, and in the woods, thus decked in autumn in the 
borrowed glories of the Virginia Creeper ; but we particu- 
larly remember two as being remarkably striking objects ; 
one, a wide-spread elm — the trunk and graceful diverging 
branches completely clad in scarlet by this beautiful vine, 
with wiiich its own leaves harmonized well in their fine 
deep yellow dress ; the other, a tall and dense Cedar, through 
whose dark green boughs gleamed the rich coloring of the 
Virginia Creeper, like a half-concealed, though glowing 
(ire. 
In the American forests nothing adds more to the beauty 
of an occasional tree, than the tall canopy of verdure with 
which it is often crowned by the wild Grape vine. There 
its tall stems wind themselves about until they reach the 
very summit of the tree, where they cluster it over, and 
bask their broad bright green foliage in the sunbeams. As 
if not content with this, they often completely overhang the 
head of the tree, falling like ample drapery around on every 
side, until they sweep the ground. We have seen very 
beautiful effects produced in this way by the grape in its 
wild state, and it may easily be imitated. The delicious 
fragrance of these wild grape vines when in blossom, is 
unsurpassed in delicacy ; and we can compare it to nothing 
but the delightful perfume which exhales from a huge bed 
of Mignonette in full bloom. The Bittersweet ( Celastrus 
