When you walk through the countryside, do you feel like this – weeds are everywhere, but almost no one pays attention to them? They grow silently in the fields and on the side of the road, whether they are yellow or green, it is difficult to attract people's attention. 
In fact, every weed has its own story behind it. For example, the dandelion that we used to play with when we were children, it can float far away, which is a unique way for it to spread to future generations. Another example is the grass of "blue youth" on the Qingming Festival, which reveals a refreshing verdant. Most of the time, however, we just rush by and even try to get rid of them. 
Weeds seem to be outsiders in our urban life. In the jungle of reinforced concrete, we no longer have the opportunity to appreciate the fragrance of the grassland. In fact, each weed has its own unique survival wisdom, which is worth exploring in detail. Maybe when we stop, the weeds will tell us stories they haven't told. 
When it comes to weed, I believe that many people, like me, are still relatively unfamiliar with this name. In fact, it is what we often call "yellow grass" or "horseear grass". Looking at this nickname, it seems that the original identity of the grass was extraordinary. It is a sage plant of the Poaceae family, and wheat such as maize is separated by thousands of mountains. Its leaves are long and dense, and as soon as autumn passes, it will be green on the roadside and among the ridges to meet the cold wind of early winter. As its name suggests, it is widely distributed, occupying almost most of the southern part of our country, and it is almost everywhere that it is most afraid of being overlooked. 
Let's say that in ancient times, as a member of the extraction of plant dyes, it was almost a household name. As I look beyond the brilliant colors and smell the fragrance of the leaves, I can't help but imagine the scene of a dozen craftsmen gathering in an orderly manner to pick the tender yellow leaves of the grass, mash, strain and soak them. The result is a mellow, dark yellow dye. This color is the sacred and inviolable symbol of the Chinese nation, and it is inlaid on the fairy-like dragon robe, which makes ordinary people out of reach. As a result, the grass also obtained the first level of identity certification - imperial grass. 
The yellow color of imperial grass is still inescapable of escaping the mundane after all. We all know that in ancient times when science and technology were not developed, plant dyes such as weeds were rare colors**. But the observant may find that the craftsmen who are often exposed to dyes are coarse and have gray hair. 
It turns out that the yellow dye extracted from the grass contains ingredients that are toxic to the human body, and it is easy to be poisoned by long-term contact. What's more, there will also be a certain amount of wastewater pollution in the process of making dyes. In ancient China, the awareness of environmental protection was very strong, and in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there was an edict strictly prohibiting the use of weedwood dyes, and instead accepting the indigo extraction process with less environmental impact. This was a heavy blow to the imperial grass, and its value plummeted, and it has been in decline ever since. 
However, for those artisans who could not avoid exposure to dyes, the improvement of the environment did not change their fortunes much. The transition of the grass is not over yet. In an agrarian society with a low level of technology and civilization, the grass is still one of the best. Spread along the country roads, it covers almost half of the village's cattle and sheep – this has become the new identity of the grass. 
In fact, with the viability of the grass, it was originally a good grassland pasture. However, in China, there are not many large pastures, and the animal husbandry industry is relatively backward. Instead, cattle and sheep farming has become an important sideline for farmers. And weeding in the field has naturally become a lifesaver. 
When modern agriculture ushered in the wave of mechanization, this former emperor grass also lost its use value. A large area of cash crops trampled it under its feet, and the development of the breeding industry overshadowed his "life-saving straw" - the current feed market is diverse, and it still needs to be relied on to satisfy hungerThe grass that has retreated after success can only be silently swaying in the corners of the countryside, and no one will care about it anymore. If the yellow represented by the imperial grass is the unique identity of Chinese civilization, then the red refracted by madder is closer to the blood of the Chinese. Unlike the mild-tempered horseweed, the madder is tough by nature and prefers the colder climates of the north. In China, it is mainly distributed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and further north. It is worth mentioning that as early as the Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, our ancestors began to use madder to extract red dye;By the time of the Han Dynasty, records of large quantities of madder cultivation were already widely available. Compared with the grass that was discovered and used by later generations, the status of madder red is obviously more far-reaching. They rely on alizarin in the body, which reacts with other compounds such as alum to produce a vivid red color. This bright red color is the favorite color of the peasant women. In ancient times, women gathered together and dyed their own cloth with madder grass with laughter, and this scene is vivid. There is no doubt that in the dyeing world, madder is the strongest competitor of the weed. It adds a strong tone to China's red culture, and also makes the yellow color of the grass gradually lose its focus in the long history. Today's weeds have been reduced to weeds that can be found everywhere on the roadside. Its former glory is gone, and its noble status has long since faded. In fact, this also foreshadows the fate of many wild plants. Many of the weeds we often refer to had important uses in the first place. For example, the white-flowered maran is an important Chinese medicinal material;Clone blue is a natural coloring agent for red wine worldwide;Purslane can be **diabetes mellitus, known as "a national treasure for both medicine and food"...However, in the impetuous pace of modern man, their role is forgotten one by one. 
Even for the sake of maximizing immediate profits, we have mercilessly killed these innocent lives with pesticides. In fact, these wild plants may hide more treasures that humans have not yet discovered - for example, in the face of global warming, their drought-resistant genes are the antidote we have been dreaming of. The decline of the grass reflects more than the fate of a plant.
We have to admit that the reason why the grass has fallen from the darling of the past to the nameless grass is due to human reasons that account for a considerable proportion. For the sake of immediate profit, we allow it to fall prey to industrial wastewater;In pursuit of efficiency, we cut it off as a natural medicine. All kinds of atrocities left a merciless wound on the grass. One of the things that worries me the most is that there are too few voices of real reflection on our part. When the yellow color of the weeds no longer corresponded to the extravagant feudal society of clothing, we simply abandoned the use of it;When the competitive advantage of madder red first emerged, we did not hesitate to quit.
In all aspects, it is the choice of consumers that drives the change of the fate of weeds. On the other hand, perhaps we are the real black sheep of this land. We have left behind scarred wilderness and generations of endangered wildlife.
Their bitter or sweet pasts are all little known. While there's still time to make amends, let's slow down and listen carefully to the weeds and other weeds. When we can cherish the land in which we live, the grass may also bloom with another bright smile.