Butterfiles on the Berm (with video)

There are a lot of very complicated ways to redevelop a capped landfill. And there are some very simple ones as well, as evidenced by the Oakland (Maine) Landfill and Transfer Station, which is seeding its clay-capped landfill cells with wildflowers to provide nourishment for swarms of Monarch butterflies. According to WCSH 6 Portland, John Thomas, the facility's manager, is a nature lover and got the idea to plant the flowers after he noticed butterflies mobbing a small patch of flowers that had avoided the mower.

The experiment, involving 40 pounds of seeds deployed across several landfill cells, will have to pass muster with Maine's Department of Environmental Protection. Next year Thomas will dig up the flowers to see how deeply their root systems penetrate into the two-foot cap, ensuring it does not violate closure regulations.

One has to think any seagulls and bears in the area must be smarting from the double standard...