May — The Water Ranunculus. 129 



greens in the world, has now become very dull ; yet out 

 of its dulness springs a novel life and beauty, as the 

 plant no longer limits itself to its old subaqueous fila- 

 ments, but sends forth leaves to float on the surface in 

 the sunshine, and covers the water with white blossom. 

 I find that people who see Nature from the gardener's 

 point of view have a hatred and horror of this plant, 

 because it is very prolific and persistent, and invades 

 little streams and ponds very rapidly when once it has 

 got a footing there ; but for my part I feel very grateful 

 to it for two quite distinct kinds of beauty : first and 

 above all, for the lovely, intense green of the moving 

 filaments in February and March, and afterwards for 

 the gayety of its prodigally abundant afflorescence. 



There is a common belief amongst landscape-painters 

 that the minute study of vegetation is a waste of time, 

 and even a snare for them, impeding their broader and 

 more comprehensive observation of natural appearances. 

 It is certainly true that any artist who studied too much 

 from the botanical point of view would be likely to lose 

 himself in unnecessary detail, but it may be shown very 

 easily that a very minute detail may become of immense 

 importance when multiplied, as Nature often multiplies 

 it, by millions. One of the best instances of this amongst 

 very familiar plants is that humble little member of the 

 Polygonum family, the sheep-sorrel dock. Its flowers 

 are so small, that one of them, taken separately, is a 

 mere .unintelligible speck, until you apply the microscope 

 to it ; and yet with these little specks will Nature stipple 

 and color vast spaces of landscape. The flower is red- 



9 



