The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-12-25
fLoRIpAs FLUSHING TREE.
The Secret of Its Foliage Changing
Color When Rain Falls.

Among the many wonders Of those
strange Florida swamps there is moth
ing more surprising than the blushing
tree" said a man, who has recently
passed a month In the Everglades of
Florida.
1.-THE blushing tree" he continued,
sis by no means common. 1t Is found
only in the densest thickets of those
interminable marshes whose luxuriant
vegetation is a revelation to explorers.
1t is called the blushing tree by those
who know it because it actually
bushes when the rain falls upon it.
This phenomenon is apparently incom-
prehensible. 1t never fails to astound
those who see it for the first time.
The mysterious and beautiful glow OF
color which 1t assumes in a rainstorm
battles description. The Seminole In
dams, who once ruled Florida, have
always known of the tree, and in their
musical language, now fast disap-
pearing, have words which mean the
maiden tree, which reddens at the COM
ing Of her lover, the rain
'In company with a taciturn Indian
guide journeyed 40 miles to see this
marvellous bit of vegetable life.
could scarcely believe the story he
told me, yet curiosity at length over
came incredulity, and we set forth one
morning in small canoe. We spent
nearly three days padding and polling
our way over the winding waters In
the afternoon of the third day began
to wonder if he had only been deceiv-
ing me for the sake of the boat hire
and his pay as guide, when he gave a
grunt of satisfaction and pointed to
the right
'Distrustfully l 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.
Eagerly he led the way until, reaching
the edge of little open space, he stop
ped and with silent pride pointed to-
ward the center. Gracefully tree,
with broad, bananalike leaves, reared
itself aloft. Wide spreading branches
hung down, slightly waving in the
warm breeze. Its emerald hued foliage
was the most beautiful had ever be-
held. 1t rose to a height of 20 feet,
and it's thick, substantial trunk indi-
Gated many years of existence. This,
the old Seminole informed me, was
the blushing tree
81 told him to prepare to camp here
until it rained, regardless of time. We
unrolled our blankets, stretched our
mosquito bars, without which one can
not sleep in the glades, cooked supper
and rolled up in our blankets for the
night. That night, the day following
and the next night passed without
rain.
81 began to think it would never
rain, when about noon a cloud dark
ened the sky overhead | put a rub
Der poncho over my shoulders and fix
ed my eyes on the green and pretty
tree dozen yards away. 1t was COW
cred with a greenishs insect the size
of large wood tick, which intensified
its color. The rain began to fall in
torrents, after it's custom in that re-
gion. Beside me, grinning confidently
with a pipe in his mouth, stood the
Seminole.
GAS the cool water drenched the tree
was amazed to note changing Of
color. Gradually, yet Enthusiastically,
the green hue was giving away to
TIL ho6 fnId hn frI1fh
The tree was blushing at the rain.
I'm few minutes the green had
faded from sight. Only in few, half
hidden spots beneath broad branches
and on Its trunk was there tinge
of green to be seen. The tree was as
pink as the cheek Of healthy girl.
after an hour or more the shower
passed over, and I watched with no
less interest the wonderful tree as
sumo its familiar green once more. AS
it was changing back to emerald |
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 the bright
warm sunshine they are greener than
the tree on which they live, but when
the chilly rain falls upon them they
contract their little backs and become
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 the Everglades. Denver Post