Butterprint
BUTTERPRINT
Copyright 2018. Harris McKee
Butterprint
In early August, as I circled the Admiral 6th floor flower garden, I discovered two butterprint plants. Seeing these weeds brought back a whole series of memories from my days growing up on an Iowa farm.
My first thought was the recollection of the hardiness of the butterprint seeds. We followed a crop rotation that involved corn, corn, oats, and a legume. When the legume was clover, it was plowed under after one season and weed growth was unimpressive. When the legume was alfalfa, however, it was a very different story. The alfalfa survived our winters well and could serve as a hay field for several years. Through the years, there was a change; the alfalfa was gradually replaced by brome grass. Neither the alfalfa nor the brome grass permitted any
weeds to appear. It was therefore especially surprising when the sod was plowed to see the ground literally blanketed with butterprint weeds as the corn was coming up. The butterprint seeds had obviously been lying dormant all the time that the grass remained undisturbed.
The butterprint did have one redeeming feature. The large velvety leaves could be formed into a depression over ones hand; clapping the other hand over the leaf created a large pop. (We didn't have bubble wrap so we had to make our own natural sounds.)
The combination of weeds and August brought forth another recollection. I loved doing anything that involved a tractor. August was not a good time for tractor activities. The corn and soybeans were "laid-by"; no more cultivation. The hay fields were growing but still too short for a third cutting! What was left was fencing and manual weeding in the bean fields. I did not find either much fun. I did find a respite.
In my junior year in high school, I joined the Army Reserves the week of my 17th birthday. The reserves required a meeting every Monday night and two weeks of summer camp at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Summer camp for the 103rd Reserve Division took place in August. What a great time for me. It meant two weeks when I didn't have to pull weeds in the bean field.