I hope every country child who reads this book and does not already know the willows, the alders, and the birches, will make their acquaintance this spring, and will examine their two kinds of flowers. And I hope that branches from the different trees will be brought into the city schoolroom, so that all can see these flowers, which are among the very earliest of the year. [Illustration: Branch and leaves] [Illustration: Decoration] THE GREAT TREES Most people seem surprised to learn that all kinds of trees have flowers. In March and April they go to the woods in search of the trailing arbutus, the violet, the anemone; and when they have picked a quantity of these, they come home and say, “These are the only flowers we saw to-day.” But if they had looked overhead, up into the trees, they would have seen many more; for each tree has its own flower, and most of the trees blossom very early in the year, before they put out their leaves. There is a good reason for this, which I will tell you by and by. One of the early trees to flower is the swamp maple. In March or April its bright red blossoms tinge the wet woods with warm color. Sometimes the snow lies thick on the ground at this season, and the little red flower clusters fall, and look wonderfully pretty against the smooth white sheet which is drawn beneath the trees. At the same season, in our city parks and streets, sharp eyes will discover the yellowish blossoms of the silver maple. Both of these trees flower before they leaf. The building plan used by maple flowers is rather confusing. In one flower you will find both calyx and corolla, but not in another. One blossom will have both stamens and pistils, another will have no pistils. [Illustration: FIG. 202] [Illustration: FIG. 203] Fig. 202 shows you a blossom from the sugar maple. It has stamens, but no pistils. Next you see what was once a flower containing both stamens and pistils (Fig. 203). The withered stamens can still be seen; and the pistil is turning into the well-known maple key. [Illustration: FIG. 204] [Illustration: FIG. 205] The great elms also put out their flowers before their leaves. Here you see a flower cluster from the white elm (Fig. 204). Fig. 205 shows you one of these little flowers enlarged; and in Fig. 206 you have the blossom cut open so as to display its pistil, which grows into the winged fruit you saw on p. 62. [Illustration: FIG. 206]