Spring means grass growing and flowers blooming as winter backs away to await its turn in December. Many say spring is their favorite season of the year because of the way our natural world shakes off the gray of winter and breaks out in color. Since I’m someone who likes walking out on my farm in all seasons and that means in all weather, I too enjoy the gifts of warming sunshine and flowers to admire.
Several years ago a new flower started showing up in our pasture field. A lovely shiny yellow flower that is some type of buttercup. The petals actually glisten in the sunshine because they have a special layer of reflective cells located beneath the superficial cells of the petals. The flowers are lovely and prolific as you can see in this picture from a few years ago. I did notice that the cows didn’t seem to thin out the flowers by eating them. Then someone told me these pretty flower invaders are a bad thing to see in your fields. All parts of a buttercup are poisonous for cattle and for humans. Signs of their poisonous effects show up right away as soon as the plant is eaten and include serious intestinal problems.
At one time people believed that the rich yellow color of butter came from cows eating buttercups. Not true since cows don’t eat buttercups because they know they are poisonous. Fortunately if the flowers are cut in with hay they lose their toxicity once they are dried. And to prove that nothing is all bad, some of the compounds in the plant have been used to treat rheumatism.
The flowers aren’t quite as thick in our pastures now, but the cows eat around them wherever they are, bypassing blades of grass growing close to the flower. Cows know. But how do they know? For instance, today I came across this beautiful yellow clover bloom over in the hayfield. A cow would snip that off and be glad of the chance. Now I can tell these flowers apart. The buttercup has more petals and that shininess. But can a cow can count petals or notice shininess?
How do the cows know not to eat one yellow flower and gladly eat another very similar one? Do mama cows whisper warnings to avoid the shiny yellow flowers to their calves? Do the calves take a nibble and want to spit it out? Is there a smell that I didn’t notice? Or is it some herd knowledge? Has the Lord made sure the cow knows better? That humans know better too. Perhaps this is an innate ability that springs from deep in the brain from a place we don’t even know is hidden in our subconscious. Here perhaps are the collected truths about flowers and animals over thousands of years and recognition of the Lord’s design for how nature interacts. We can trust that design and be glad the Lord does know all the birds and beasts of the field and knows and loves us humans too.
For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the mountains,
And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. (Psalm 50:10-11 NKJV)
What are some of the interconnections and wonders of nature you’ve noticed?
P.S. Beyond the Book
Somebody asked me to post a link to the video a library recorded of me talking about my books. I did do the video but haven’t been given a link as yet. However, if you didn’t catch my Facebook Live discussion about These Healing Hills on Beyond the Book’s Facebook group and would like to hear me talking about the book, here’s the link. Readers were typing questions in the comments that I was answering. I enjoyed talking books with people from several states and from Australia too.
As always, thanks for reading.
Comments 4
Thanks for this interesting story. I also appreciate the scripture from Psalms …so true! Here on the farm our barn swallows return every year near the same date , around mid April. A scout arrives first from S. America , then a few days later the rest of the flock flies in ; about 30 birds. They begin building and repairing their many nests in the open barn sheds . Each pair raises 2 broods . They are my summer companions .They follow my husband as he mows the fields , eating insects along the way . Then in late August or Early Sept. they gather on the barn roof and fly away south. I have witnessed this a few times. It makes me sad to see them leave. So how do they know when and where to go at just the right time ? ” His eye is on the sparrow;I know he watches me ” The Lord orchestrates all of life in His perfect way.
Author
Love that about your barn swallows, Nancy. Thanks for sharing that. It is good to watch nature and see how things do work the way it’s intended to work. So many wonders.
It’s interesting to learn that buttercups are poisonous since I did not know that. As a city-dwelling youth, I used to pick buttercups because they were pretty and hold them under my chin for a friend to see the yellow reflection on the skin. Fortunately, we were not foolish enough to ingest the buttercups.
Author
Well, I think according to what I read that they taste horrible and that could be how the cows know not to eat them, Suzanne. If you had put one in your mouth you would have probably been spitting it out and wanting water. This is just from what I read and not what I have tried. There was this other little tidbit about a children’s game that might make you smile.
Reflexive properties of buttercup flowers are applied in children’s game aimed to determine fondness for the butter. If yellow reflection appears on the skin after placing buttercup under the chin – then child likes to eat butter.
So, did you like butter? 🙂