White Top
South Platte Meadow
White Top began with a green and blue wash, part of the process of preparing the canvas. “It was similar to another piece I have, South Platte Meadow,” Jim recalls. “After several days, I started seeing these plants with little flowers that took a form of their own.”
Jim spent a long time looking at the piece, trying to determine what it reminded him of. What eventually came to mind was a wild plant called white top that is prevalent in the river bottom behind his house. It has pretty white flowers when it is blooming, but is actually a weed.
“Noxious weeds are considered enemies of the farm, because without controlling them, they can absolutely take over,” says Jim. “They take away precious grasses that the cattle and other animals need and can take over croplands as well. It’s a big problem.”
While farmers typically spend a lot of time trying to get rid of these weeds, Jim says they are here to stay. “We just try to keep them at bay.” Most likely, noxious weeds are the result of people bringing non-native plants into their gardens. The seeds can get into the water, eventually into the rivers, and spread to other areas where they sprout up, take root, and quickly take over.
Over the years, Jim has observed that weeds can be kept away naturally by grazing cattle. “When the cattle graze, they actually move around on trails, so it kind of keeps the vital grass from getting stomped out. Where we have grazing the pastures are typically much healthier, more vigorous and more resistant to noxious weeds than the other open ground.”
Jim imagines this was the case on the Great Plains before the land was settled and herds of buffalo grazed freely. “I’ve read that there were these lush, gorgeous seas of grass across the plains, probably with no noxious weeds. The buffalo, also bovines, probably acted similarly to the cattle,” he adds.