Studies of trees in winter

SWAMP WHITE OAK Quercus platanoides
STUDIES of TREES IN WINTER A Description of the Deciduous Trees of Northeastern America BY ANNIE OAKES HUNTINGTON WITH AN INTRODUCTION By CHARLES S. SARGENT, LL.D. DIRECTOR OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM AND AUTHOR OF THE “SILVA OF NORTH AMERICA” ILLUSTRATED WITH COLORED PLATES BY MARY S. MORSE, AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR BOSTON KNIGHT AND MILLET 1902
Copyright, 1901 By Knight and Millet First Impression, December, 1901 Second Impression, January, 1902
TO My Two Friends MY MOTHER, ELIZABETH QUINCY HUNTINGTON AND JEANNETTE WARREN PAYSON IN TOKEN OF GRATITUDE AND LOVE I DEDICATE THIS BOOK
When Miss Huntington told me last year that she was going to write a book about the trees in their winter aspects, knowing how conscientiously she had studied her subject and how successful she had been in imparting the results of her observation to others, I felt sure that she would do a useful and excellent piece of work, and that her book would be of real assistance to all persons who want to gain some knowledge of the trees which they pass in their daily walks.
The promise of the book is now fulfilled, and nothing is left for the introductor to do but to call attention in a general way to the beauty of trees in winter and to the pleasure and profit of studying them at this season of the year, as well as when their branches are clothed with leaves or covered with flowers or fruits.
To the real lover of trees they are equally beautiful and interesting at all seasons of the year; and no one knows trees well who cannot distinguish the different species as easily and surely in winter as in spring or summer. Almost every tree has some special and peculiar beauty which is seen to the best advantage in winter. The fine spray of the beech is seen only at this season of the year, and there are few more beautiful objects in nature than the delicate branches of our New England beech trees seen against the clear blue sky of a brilliant winter day. The sturdiness of the oak is best realized in winter, for at other seasons its massive limbs are often hidden under their covering of leaves. The birch is far more graceful and attractive in winter than at any other period; and there is nothing more stimulating to the lover of nature than to stand on a bright winter’s day and look up into the marvellous structure of one of the great elm trees which are the pride of New England. The bark of most trees appears more beautiful in winter than at other seasons of the year because the eye, undisturbed by the contemplation of the foliage, can then most easily take in all the details of its varied texture and wonderful colors.