Buttercup Footprints

In the country, during the early spring, before the trees leaf out, you can find buttercup footprints left behind at old homesteads.  They were planted long, long ago by forgotten gardeners; but they continue to bloom year after year even though the farms have disappeared.  Below is a straight line of buttercups in a field on the edge of town.  Did they originally line a sidewalk, a fence row or maybe a front yard flowerbed?  Someone planted them because they are in a long straight line.

In the picture below, only the barn has survived; however, if you look closely at the left side of the picture, hidden in the clump of bushes sits the rocks which surround the old well pump.  There was a house somewhere here long ago.

Often the houses are hard to see because the wooden structures were made from local trees so their colors blend in with the woods.  As soon as the trees leaf out, this house will be hidden.

The wooden structures usually rot and vanish first.  Many times the chimney or just a few foundation stones remain.  This chimney was built first with stone then higher up two different types of brick were used.  I wonder, was it repaired or did they run out of supplies and use what was available?

Usually, the old homes are easy to spot because they are close to the street since 150 years ago there was not much traffic.  A wagon rolling down the road was newsworthy.

This would have been the view of the road from the porch of this old house.  It was looking right down over the road and beside it is a creek.

This was the old driveway up to the house.  

This area would have been the front yard. Nature has a way of improving any landscaping a man might have done.

A soon to be old homestead.  This one still has the "modern television antenna" attached to the side of the house.

This home did not have many buttercups around it, but, given enough time, they will multiply as they spread.

While driving down another backcountry road I spied this large bunch of buttercups in a field close to the street. There had to be an old home somewhere close but I could not see anything from the car.  I searched the landscape and saw nothing; however, I knew the buttercups must point to something.  Curiously, I slipped out of the car and carefully crossed the open field toward the treeline.  I would not try this during hunting season!

My risk was rewarded!  

How old is this cabin?  How long has it been since anyone lived there?  Other than being seen by me while trespassing, how long has it been since anyone, other than the property owner, visited this place?

As time passes, each flower bulb slowly spreads and naturalizes.  Every single bulb becomes a larger clump.

Then the clumps spread...

and spread...

and spread.

If you are willing to search throughout the country, the footprints can be found hidden in plain sight.  They last only for a few weeks each spring but they will return year after year.  Long after the gardeners are gone, these buttercups will continue to bloom and cheer many future generations.   I wonder, what positive footprints am I leaving behind that will last so long?