the dried bones of the cornfield are beautiful. we have watched the field change through the seasons. last summer when we couldn’t see beyond the stalks in front of us, lush and green and full of life. the fall when, as the field browned, we would find cobs on the trail, feed corn for the deer and other gluten-free wildlife. (just making sure you are paying attention!) the winter, when snow charmed the tall stalks. and finally, early spring, combine-blunt-cut-short stalks remain in this no-till field, sharing the rich soil with the promise of spring. dandelions and corn. co-existing. apparently, dandelions are easier to control in the fall than in the spring. they store up moisture and nutrients in their roots and so are pretty hardy in these may-days. they were there all along. co-existing.
we don’t disparage dandelions. we have dandelions in our yard. co-existing with grass. we aren’t pro-active about gaining their presence, but neither are we terribly pro-active about eliminating them. we don’t spray chemicals that would be harmful to either domestic pets walking by or to wild animals that roam our area. we do have neighbors who are deeply invested in their removal, so we try to be good community stewards and pull some out so as to not spread them. but dandelion-removal isn’t a passion of ours and we really don’t mind too much the co-existence of dandelions with grass. besides, we can always blame it on last fall. they’ve been there all along.
read DAVID’S thoughts this TWO ARTISTS TUESDAY
