210 
NATURE STUDY. 
What makes the landscape ? The mountains and plains 
and valleys are, so far as man is concerned, frames to hang 
vegetation on. Even on this early spring day, while most 
of the foliage is yet undeveloped, it is plants that give col¬ 
or to the picture. In the meadows and pastures the root 
leaves of the grasses are already vivid in hue ; the grain- 
fields are yellow-brown with the stubble of last year’s crop ; 
the swamps glow with the scarlet flowers of the red maple, 
more brilliant on those trees on which the later maturing 
female blossoms predominate. Plants even give color to 
the brooks which are hurrying with all their might to car¬ 
ry off the surplus water from the woods and the lowlands. 
Even the stagnant pools have taken on a spring tint from 
the algae and other water plants which have chosen them 
for a habitat. The evergreen trees heighten the picture 
with their sombre shades, and the round blue dome of the 
sky frames the whole. 
The roads are somewhat dusty, and the four by and by 
turn into a field and strike out in the direction of a certain 
hill, whereon is hidden the shrine of St. Viola. The way 
has to be forced through thickets of bushes and brambles. 
The ground is thickly strewn with dried leaves. All at 
once an exclamation from one of the ladies—for we were 
two and two—“Did you ever see anything so beautiful!” 
And there, springing up through the brown mantle, were 
clumps of flowers in full bloom, in color varying from 
white through pink to light and dark rich purple and even 
to blue. This is the first and perhaps the most beautiful 
of our spring flowers, the liver-leaf, Hepatica triloba. The 
leaves are long petioled, have three rounded lobes, and 
some of them are of the peculiar hue which has given them 
their common name. The flowers are on slender scapes 
which are covered with white hairs. These hairs are 
sometimes so numerous and so white as to give the plant 
the aspect of having been sprinkled with powdered helle- 
