Amongst the seemingly unbreakable horizon of row crops can be found some gems. At our place near Washburn, IL we put in some grass filter strips along the Snag Creek.
The land itself undulates a bit where there is some depositional till built up to the north from the country road and you can't see the creek. Snag itself is not a big waterway, 3-15 yards wide in most spots, we've got strips of about 30-50 yards in width, and while not visually imposing, this bit of grass provides amazing habitat.
Pheasant, quail, muskrat, coyote, deer and one resident beaver all take refuge in this narrow shelter belt. Unfortunately, with $4.00 corn, many farmers are planting corn "fence to fence" these days, and grasses are being tilled back under.
What we have along Snag isn't much when measured against the acreage of crops around it, but to me it serves as a testament of what once was amongst the agricultural fields and what could be again. Diversity.
Pics: 1. Grasses and hackberry shrub. 2. Waterway, just east of beaver dam, semi-closed cover. 3. Waterway on east side of farm, open cover.
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