NONSUCH 



of-the-earth, mallow, rosy primrose, oleander, poor- 

 man's-weatherglass, match-me-if-you-can, — these 

 are a delight to tell over, euphonious or meaningful, 

 or both. 



In spring. Nonsuch is ablaze with thousands of 

 pink stars as the oleanders burst forth ; later comes 

 the rose red of hibiscus, and gradually, in the au- 

 tumn months, a background of golden spires sets 

 the island again on fire. It is a pleasant alarm when 

 a half -grown great blue heron rises with a sudden 

 raucous outburst from the beach, or a young tropic- 

 bird squawks beneath your very feet, but to be 

 surprised by a flower is an even keener joy. I recall 

 a waste of grey and silver rocks, from which a tiny 

 brilliant face looked up at me, and I saw my first 

 scarlet pimpernel. And after I had found others 

 and had become used to them, I stumbled unexpect- 

 edly upon the rare blue race, and Nonsuch gained 

 a new charm. Nothing becomes more monotonous, 

 mile after mile through a car window, than endless 

 wheat fields, and yet to us the finding of a single 

 stalk of wheat growing on our island was a memo- 

 rable event. It was very probably the only living 

 wheat for a thousand miles. In the matter of plant 

 surprises we need not wallow forever in sweet senti- 

 mentalism — the careless somnambulist on Non- 

 such may encounter cactus or nettle, obliterating 

 for the time being all charm of botany. 



I have made a list of the plants of Nonsuch ac- 

 cording to distribution and probable method of 

 arrival. The European and West Indian derivations 



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