The Love of Nature 
his familiar hills, new flowers spring up in 
his familiar woods, and every long-loved 
shrub and tree assume new aspects with 
each season’s growth and alterations. The 
changes which Nature brings every moment 
before his eyes will satiate his desire for 
novelty. 
This is the true secret of every kind of 
love: if a thing really appeals to us, the 
better we know it the more we care about 
it. The true lover of Nature loves her as 
he loves mankind. He has his favorite 
corners of the world as he has his friends, 
and does not constantly wish to exchange 
them for others, or perpetually contrast their 
attractions with the attractions of others. 
If everyone admires them his joy in them 
is increased; but if he is almost alone in 
his appreciation, this fact is in itself the 
source of a special kind of pleasure and 
pride. He seeks for novelty and freshness 
in Nature as he likes to make acquaintance 
with interesting strangers, but comes back 
as gladly to the familiar scene as to the 
familiar face. The tree which he has 
watched as it grew from a sapling to fine 
