September — Blackberry. 231 



out at the same time, berries from which a wine is made 

 greatly inferior to that from the flowers of the same 

 tree. It may be mentioned as a little detail worth re- 

 membering for foreground color, that the fruit of the 

 blackberry is red before it turns black. The leaves 

 of the bramble are, however, more important than the 

 fruit, as they have quite a peculiar way of changing 

 color in autumn. Many of them turn bright red quite 

 suddenly, whilst quantities of others will be spotted 

 with dark purple. The isolation of the red leaves may 

 be of use to an artist who wants an intense color in 

 small quantities. A very valuable cause of color in some 

 situations is the small polygonum, which, with its red 

 stalk and leaves just turning yellow, produces the most 

 beautiful dark gold in mass. The ferns begin to take 

 autumnal color rather capriciously ; it seems to seize 

 upon some leaves to the neglect of others, and these 

 leaves will be entirely affected by it, passing from dark 

 brown near the root to yellow at the end. One of the 

 latest flowering plants is the fine polygonum called 

 Persicaria, often nearly two feet high, with a red stalk 

 and spikes of rosy flowers ; but the stalk strikes the 

 eye more than the flowers do. A very familiar plant, 

 the wild hop, has an appearance at this season which 

 bears some resemblance to flowers. The scales of the 

 spike become enlarged so as to entirely conceal the 

 fruit ; and these dry scales are visible in September as 

 a pleasant light brown, the leaves being still green. 



