Outdoor Visits  by Edith M. Patch

Berries for Bluebirds

There were some honeysuckle bushes in the park.

Bees came to visit them in spring. They liked the nectar that they found in the pink flowers.

Soon the pink parts of the flowers fell and berries grew. There were seeds in the berries.

At first the berries were small and hard and green. When they were ripe they were soft and red.

Bluebirds visited these bushes in summer when the berries were ripe.

There were father and mother bluebirds and young bluebirds.

Some of the young birds had on their first feathers. They had little white spots on their backs. Their front feathers were brown and white. Their tails and part of the wing feathers were blue. They were too young to look like old birds.

The young birds picked berries. The old birds helped them, too. The babies opened their bills and asked for food. So the father and mother birds gave them more berries.

The bluebirds flew to other parts of the park with berries in their mouths. They dropped honeysuckle seeds in many different places.

The seeds lay on the ground all winter. In the spring they grew. So there were many little bushes in the park.

Mr. Gray showed the bushes to Don and Nan and said, "Some of these honeysuckles are too near the path. Will you help me dig them?"

Nan said, "I wish we might have all the honeysuckle bushes we dig up. We could plant them at the farm. They would grow and have pink flowers and red berries.

"Then every summer there would be more berries for bluebirds."

So Mr. Gray gave them the young bushes that were too near the path.