Outdoor Visits  by Edith M. Patch

Broad Leaves in Spring

"Yes," said Nan, "they changed from green to bright colors. And they fell to the ground."

"Shall we visit the big Red Oak?" asked Don. "Mr. Gray told us there would be new oak leaves late in May."

So Don and Nan went to the park to see the oak tree.

They found some fresh young oak leaves that were about half grown.

There were two kinds of flowers on the oak.

The flowers of one kind were near the ends of the branches where new leaves were growing.

They had no pollen of their own. They could grow into acorns if some pollen came to them from other red oak flowers.

The other oak flowers were on long slender parts that hung down in clusters.

These flowers had much pollen.

The wind moved the clusters and blew some of the pollen to the flowers that had no pollen.

Mr. Gray told Don and Nan about the two kinds of oak flowers.

He said, "The buds of the flowers and leaves were on the branches all winter. The snow did not harm the small winter buds."

"Are there any evergreen oak trees?" asked Don.

"There is an evergreen oak in the South," said Mr. Gray. "It grows in places too warm for heavy snows. Its name is Live Oak."

"How do the leaves of Live Oak trees look?" asked Nan.

Mr. Gray showed them a picture of Live Oak leaves. They did not look like the leaves of Red Oak.