Squiggle Art

What is this interesting light colored pattern in the back yard grass? A natural or carved break in the trees allowing sunshine through? Somebody on the loose with a can of white spray paint?

On closer inspection (of the image or the actual hillside), it's clear that the light grass is dead grass. This quickly leads to the culprit, a small hand pump sprayer containing Roundup that didn't have its cap securely tightened, or perhaps more accusatorially, the person who didn't do the tightening.

I don't really want to get into the argument about Roundup (glyphosate) which is covered extensively elsewhere, for example in many gardening blogs. If you're interested, start at the Wikipedia article. Suffice it to say, we DO use it in moderation in our battle with the invasive species, almost exclusively for applying a 50/50 mix to the stumps of bush honeysuckle and autumn olive after cutting them down, and never near water or on a windy day.

So, next time you're preparing some Roundup (or other herbicide), and you're being careful and following the label instructions, of course, remember to give that applicator cap an extra tightening twist!!