Field and Woodland Plants

by William S. Furneaux

The first flowers observed in the spring are mainly those hardy weeds which may be seen in bloom almost through the year, such as the Shepherd's Purse, Chickweed, Groundsel, White Dead Nettle, Red Dead Nettle, and Henbit Dead Nettle. These are soon followed by the Furze, Strawberry-leaved Cinquefoil, Snowdrop, Hazel, Common Whitlow-grass, and other flowers that are truly blossoms of the spring. All these will be described in turn, according to their various habitats; the object of the present short chapter being to note those signs of early spring which demand the attention of the lover of Nature while flowers are as yet few and inconspicuous.

A ramble over bleak downs and moors during the cold days of early spring will probably reveal but little of interest in the way of vegetable life, but in sheltered vales and woods, copses, and protected waysides, there is much to be observed. Here it is that we find the hardy weeds which have continued to bloom throughout the winter months; the earliest of the spring flowers; the fresh green foliage of herbs and shrubs that, in more exposed situations, have been completely denuded; the first tender seedlings appearing above the ground long before the frosts are over; and the expanding 'leaf-buds' showing their green while elsewhere all life seems dormant.

This is the season when the young botanist requires his notebook more than the collecting-book or vasculum; for his records of early flowers, and of the times of the appearance of the leaf in our trees and shrubs, will prove of great interest when compared with the corresponding events and times of other years. Not only do our spring seasons vary considerably from year to year in such a manner as to alter the general times of appearance of leaf and flower, but the vicissitudes of our climate even change the order in which these events occur.

The general study of the buds of trees should commence before they begin to burst. We commonly speak of the buds as winter buds, but it should be known that they were formed in the preceding summer or autumn, and have remained dormant throughout the winter. There is usually a terminal bud at the tip of each twig, and lateral buds at the sides. If we examine a lateral bud we find immediately beneath it a more or less distinct scar, denoting the position of a leaf that fell in the autumn, thus showing that the bud in question was formed in the axil or angle of the leaf. These observations should be verified by examining the trees in autumn, while the leaves still exist.

It is not sufficient that we are able to recognise trees when in leaf; they should be known equally or almost as well during the winter and early spring while the branches are bare, and this is usually easily accomplished by making ourselves acquainted with the general form of each tree as viewed from a distance, and, on closer inspection, with the nature of the bark and the character of the buds.

All our forest trees are of the exogenous type; that is, their stems increase in thickness by the addition of new wood formed outside the older wood and underneath the bark. Thus the bark, which is composed of a layer or mass of dead, sapless cells, is gradually pushed outward as the stem thickens. The result is that the bark is either more or less fractured, as in the Elm and the Oak, or it flakes off and falls to the ground, as is the case with the Plane and the Birch. A new layer of bark is always formed during each summer, and this, in turn, either cracks or peels away; but while, in the former instance, the accumulated bark presents a very rugged appearance, and becomes very thick, in the latter case it remains smooth, and is always thin.

Then again, how are we to account for the great variety in the general forms of our different trees—the irregular, crooked nature of the Oak; the slender, but denser branching of the airy Birch; and the tall, pyramidal form of the Lombardy Poplar? All this is easily understood if we carefully observe the positions of the buds as seen during the winter months; and watch the development of these buds during early spring.

Trees in Winter or Early Spring
1. Hazel, with catkins. 2. Ash. 3. Oak. 4. Lime, with remains of the last season's fruits.