The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-20
FLORIDA'S BLUSHING TREE,
The secret of Its Foliage Changing
Color when Rain Falls.

(From the Denver Evening Post.)
"Among the many wonders Of those
strange swamps there Is nothing more
surprising shan the blushing tres," said
Albert Z. Dewey OF Punta Gorda, Fla,
who has recently passed month in the
Everglades OF Florida.
.'The hlushfng tree" continued MIR.
Dewey, "is by no means common. It is
found only in the densest thickets OF
those interminabIe marshes, whose luxu-
RANT vegetation Is revelation to ex-
plorers IL is called the blushing tree by
those who know It because 1t actually
bushes when the rain falls upon 1t.
This phenomenon is apparently inoom-
prehensible. 1t never falls to astound
those who see It for the first time. Tbe
mysterious and beautiful glow of color
which 1t assumes in d rainstorm battles
description. The Seminole Indians. who
once ruled Florida, have always known
OF the tree, and In their musical Ian
guage, now fast disappearing, have
words which mean the maiden tree
which reddens &C the coming OF her low
er. the rain
"In company with q saciturn Indian
guide journeyed forty miles TO see this
marvellous bit of vegetable life. l could
scarcely believe the story he told me. yet
curiosity at length tovercame increduili-
ty, and we sat forth one morning In
small canoe. We spent nearly hree days
padding and polling our way over the
the third day began to wonder If he
had only neen deceiving me for the sake
of the boat hire and his pay as guide,
when he gave grunt of satisfaction
and pointed TO the right.
''Distrustfully followed him ashore
and through the underbrush. Beneath
great cypress trees, hoary with the gray
hanging moss, and past immense bay
| trees we wendell our way inland. Eager
| Iy he led the way until reaching the edge
OF little open space hs stopped and with
silent pride pointed toward the centre.
| Gracefully a tres, with broad, banana
like leaves, reared itself aioft. Wide
spreading branches hung down, slightly
waving in the warm breeze. Its emerald
| hued foliage was the most beautiful 1
had ever beheid. 1t rose to a height of
twenty feet and it's thick, substantial
trunk indicated many years of existence.
This, the old Seminole Informed me. was
the bIushing tree
81 told MIN TO prepare to camp here
until 1t rained, regardless OF time. We
unroIled our blankets, stretched our mos
quito bars, without which one cannot
sleep in the giades, cooked supper ana
rolled mp In our blankets for the night
That night, the day following and the
next night passed without rain.
al began to think it would never rain,
when about noon cloud darkened the
| sky overhead. L put rubber poncho
over my shoulders and liked my eyes on
the green and pretty tree a dozen yards
I aNay. It was covered With n greenisb
fnsscr. the size or a large wood tick,
which intensified Its color. The rain be-
| 0an to fall in torrents, after It's custom
in that region. Beside me, grinning con-
fidentIy with q pipe In his mouth, stood
the Sslninole.
LAS the cool water drenched the tree,
was amazed TO note a changing OF col
or. Gradually, yet Enthusiastically, the
green was giving away TO pink. The
Indian had told the truth. The tree was
blushing at the rain.
I'm a few minutes the green had faded
from sight. only in few, half hidden
spots bensath broad branches and on its
trunk was there a tinge of green to be
seen. The tree was as pink as the cheek
OF healthy girl.
passed over and watched with no less
interest the wonderful tree assume its
| familiar green once more. As fe was
| changing back to emerald i suddenly
realized the secret OF the phenomenon.
The tiny insects and not the tree itself
changed color These peculiar parasites
are possessed OF the power Of chameleons
In tine bright warm sunshine they are
greener than this tree on which they live,
/ but when the chilly rain falls upon they
| they contract their iittIe backs and be-
come a pretty pink in color. Millions Of
them thus change the tint Of the tree.
They are found only upon one species OF
trees, which grow In certain parts OF tine
Evergladss."