
178 THE BEHAVIOUR OF PLANTS 
each crowned with a tuft of silky hairs, are forced 
gently out and lie ready for the first puft of wind to 
blow them away. ‘They are so light that the wind 
lifts them easily and often bears them miles away. 
Did you ever see the capsules of the willow or poplar 
bursting and emptying out a mass of cottony down? 
You should look out for these trees in the summer 
and collect some of the catkins of capsules. ach tiny 
capsule opens into two curved valves, and packed inside 
are the seeds, enclosed in tufts of silky cotton, which 
enable the seeds to float. Separate some of the seeds 
to see the soft, silky tuft of hairs on the end. Blow ~ 
the seeds into the air to see how easily they float away 
on the “ wings of the wind.” 
The dandelion. The dandelion is so common that few 
persons admire the really beautiful flower. They would 
rather get rid of it. If the dandelion would only: grow in 
out-of-the-way places, it would not be so unwelcome. But 
itisan intruder. You dig the plants, root and branch, out 
of your lawn, and in a few years they are there again, Or 
new ones, rather. It makes a great many seeds. But how 
beautifully they sail through the air like tiny balloons! 
Did you ever try to blow all the seeds off the head 
with one long whiff? There is a mark left where each 
one stood. How they go sailing away! Watch them! 
Some are coming down to the ground like a man 
clinging to a parachute. The seed is the heaviest part 
