Puffy clouds skirt the late summer sky, occasionally dumping a shower on our heads while Dr. Doug Landis and I walked between the crop rows at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) in Michigan. Breezes ruffled the soybean leaves like waves, but few insects or birds zipped through the sky above the crops. Near the corn fields, the same silence prevailed.

Continuing on, we reached a hectare plot of second successional prairie, bright goldenrod mixed with milkweed, big bluestem and more. The air practically vibrated with bees, butterflies, sparrows, dragonflies, and beetles. By comparison, the crop areas appeared almost sterile.

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