Back on May 6, 2008, I posted a photo of a field of buttercups just outside of Brookport, Illinois. In that photo you could see a glorious field of shimmering yellow buttercups. In my message, I noted that they would soon be poisoned for farming. Well, they have. And I wanted to show you what "no-till" farming actually does. In this farming technique, the land is not plowed or disced. Seeds are drilled right into the existing vegetation and a strong dose of herbicide is applied. Sure, it saves soil, especially compared to bad tilling practices. But there is little doubt that when a crop is planted using this technique, and you can see the soybeans starting to peep out of the mass of buttercups, that the harvest from that crop will contain residues from that herbicide. I have read studies to that effect. It seems so unnatural to see, at the peak of growing conditions in the late spring, large areas of vegetation turn brown and die. I just had to show the contrast. I know the current photo isn't 100% registered with the earlier one, but it's pretty close.

It is clear that the overtaking of the field by buttercups is not something that indicates any kind of ecological balance. I believe it is a response to the herbicide use. Apparently the herbicide kills everything except the buttercup seeds. I'm not sure about that, but that's what i think. We'll see next spring.