It may be a weed, but it made for a striking landscape

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 20 March 2012 13:42

Henbit may be giving area farmers headaches, but for some motorists traveling along 190th or U.S. Highway 56, about five miles west of Marion, the bright purple fields were a sight to behold last week. Rickey Roberts, Marion County Extension Agent, said it is

unusual to see so much henbit this early in the season. The annual weed usually matures from April through June, but because of warm temperatures it’s already flowering. Roberts said he suspects farmers will be killing off the weed soon before corn and beans are planted. For those who haven’t seen the purple landscape, they might want to hurry—henbit probably won’t last long once producers begin applying herbicides.