Look at this vetch, with its spherical black seed, poised to capture the energy from a small gravity drop and translate it into a burrowing hide under the vetch stalks and the grass thatch it has climbed upon…
… just like the burrowing vole that will seek it out under that same thatch in the snow. In this game, the more gravity one captures, the better. For the vole, too!
Categories: Grasslands, invasive species, Nature Photography
Okanagan Okanogan 
The wild vetch of our area is considered a problem by some. I think the seed may be poisonous to some creatures. On the other hand, see Just Farmers for the possibility that it may out-maneuver hawkweed. 🙂
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I’m sure. Still, it’s clever! I like the idea of it trumping hawkweed. Part of my thinking, though, is that the dominance of grazing animals in the grasslands should be over, as we move towards accepting indigenous culture and rebuilding ecosystems that were once rich and are now almost completely depleted. Grazing, yes, but not just grazing. Of course, here in Vernon just getting rid of thousands of acres of sagebrush would improve grazing enough that multiple values could be maintained. Twould be better than battling a bit of vetch here and there. Let the hawkweed and the vetch fight it out. Sell tickets. Popcorn. What a show.
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Sometimes, the “weeds” are more nutritious than the food. I think I read somewhere that Green Amaranth (a “pest” in cornfields) produces four times the protein yield of the corn itself.
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Indeed. Great stuff. I’m trying to get a farm I’m consulting to adopt a wild salad program.
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