#the cornfield project

[whoa-where-did-the-pancakes-go]

The thing abt me is i WILL get too invested in side characters

[heretyc]

me inside outlast 2 [real]

[blindmanbaldwin]

One of the big problems is about passion against compassion, which is greed against giving — and giving up, primarily. And the whole issue is the flip side of greed which is the fear of losing. So you’re either trying to get things or afraid of losing the things you got. The idea is to let go of those things. Because once you’ve started down that path of fear then you’re trying to protect things

George Lucas in “Project Happiness” (2011)

[seat-safety-switch]

Have you ever taken a jigsaw puzzle, put it all together except for one piece, and then thrown that very last fucking piece, the one you absolutely needed, into a lake? It is here that two different kinds of people emerge. You are either exuberant at flexing your power, however limited, over an arbitrary set of rules... or you are utterly distraught that the thing will never be perfect.

Even after all these years, I don't know which one I would be. I want my projects to kick ass, just like everyone else's, but I also don't want to be a slave to them. That's what happened to Ranger Rick down the block, when he became obsessed with making sure every single bolt on his Ford Ranger was torqued to perfection. He scuffed one on the sill plate while he was torquing it, and something broke inside him. Pulled all the bolts right out, sent them to plating. Now he has several ziploc bags of beautifully cleaned and plated bolts and a big pile of rusty parts that are never going to form a truck again. I don't want that life for me.

Sometimes I like my things to be a little imperfect. Dent in the fender. Scratch on the windshield from driving through that cornfield to get away from the cops. That way, I don't get so mad when an errant shopping cart smashes into the bumper (because I was doing donuts in the grocery store parking lot again.) And I'll always have something reasonable to fix, not like Rick, who just looks at his driveway-occupying light truck frame and starts to weep.

Don't get me wrong, though. I would still be insanely upset if you took the nice turbo I've been saving in my basement for 25 years and threw it into the river. One of these days I'm gonna put that on a car, I swear. I just gotta get the perfect one.

[ao3sbatfamily]

Any cryptid Tim Drake where he's not actually a cryptid he's just kinda weird making the fam freak out

When you're a clone who can fly, but somehow, your boyfriends the weird one.

'Cryp-Tim' by PrinceJakeFireCake

Author: @phoenixkaptain

Tim, who appeared out of the blue one night. Kon had actually jumped, because the last thing he expected to find in a cornfield in the middle of Kansas was Red Robin. Tim had looked at him for a long time in complete silence. Kon felt simultaneously like Tim was making notes of every exploitable weakness to murder him and like Tim was going to throw down a smoke bomb and abscond at any second.

Kon stayed still, because Tim was there and Kon hadn’t seen him in three weeks. He hadn’t even known where Tim was for those three weeks. He’d tried asking Nightwing, but Nightwing had looked vaguely haunted when he admitted he didn’t know where Tim was either, so Kon had left the topic alone. Tim being in a cornfield in the middle of Kansas was shocking for multiple reasons, but Kon was willing to accept it.

“Um,” Kon said, awkwardly, because it had been half an hour and Tim didn’t seem to be breathing. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Tim stated, then tore off his cowl and scowled at Kon. “That’s a lie, actually.”

Kon blinked. He tried to remember what he’d done to piss off Tim recently. The last time he’d seen him was when he caught Tim eating two whole boxes of pizza by himself in the middle of the night on the roof of Titans’ Tower.

Kon had asked, carefully, “What are you doing?”

Tim had responded, less than calm, “I think I’m a mad scientist.”

Kon had, eloquently, replied to this with, “What?”

[miss-bushido]

kiss me, underneath the moonlight

Eddie and Steve are on their third date at a local farm, when the rain starts.

Written for @softsteddieseptember week 4, prompt 'dancing in the rain'.

Rating: T Tags: Kissing, Steve Harrington has bad parents, heavy petting, making out, secret tattoos

The sky had been threatening rain all day. Dark grey clouds, lots of wind. Typical for mid to late autumn. It was a bit of a bummer because Steve had planned this third date with Eddie to take place outside. He knew enough about him now to know that Eddie was obsessed with Halloween and all things spooky. So, a date at a farm on the outskirts of Hawkins that boasted not only a pumpkin patch and a corn maze, but an outdoor set up to show movies in the late afternoon? Well, it was perfect. Eddie’s face had told him that he’d planned it well.

They had picked their pumpkins and put them in the back of Eddie’s van for safe keeping. They had gone through the corn maze- managing to find a few hiding spots to surreptitiously make out in- and they were now sitting side by side in some wooden Adirondack chairs, holding hands and sipping hot apple cider. There was a bag of warm kettle corn at Steve’s feet, and once the projector was set up, they would be watching a double feature of 80’s horror films ‘Children of the Corn’, and then ‘Near Dark’.

Eddie had been ecstatic about the whole thing, but particularly about the second movie. ‘Near Dark’ was a cult classic vampire movie, and not many people knew about it who hadn’t seen it when it was first released. At least not many people they knew. Most people their age preferred movies like ‘Saw’ or the remakes of ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘Rob Zombie’s Halloween’. Not many people shared Eddie’s enthusiasm for old horror films, but, luckily, Steve was one of those people. “This was such a fun date, Stevie,” Eddie said, squeezing Steve’s hand before he took another sip of his apple cider.

“I’m glad, Eds,” Steve replied, reaching out to tuck a long lock of hair behind Eddie���s ear. The wind made his hair more wild than it normally was, and that was saying something. “The date’s not done when the movies are, either,” he couldn’t help adding, giving him a wink as he settled back into the chair.

Eddie’s eyes widened at the implication, and he gave Steve a wide cheeky grin. “When you put it like that, maybe we can just find these on Netflix later on.”

“And miss out on this experience?” Steve asked. “It’s not every day you can see a horror movie outside next to a pumpkin patch with a sexy metal head.”

“You’re really not making a case for us to stay when you talk like that, baby,” Eddie grinned, biting his lower lip.

“I guess we’ll both just have to exercise some restraint,” Steve answered, leaning forward to kiss Eddie on the lips. He licked into Eddie’s mouth, tasting the apple cider and the popcorn he’d eaten. “And restraint enters into it…if you’d like,” he whispered, licking Eddie’s bottom lip before he pulled away.

“Damn it,” Eddie muttered, exhaling heavily to get himself under control. Steve grinned and sipped his own apple cider, smiling to himself at the reaction he’d gotten at the implication.

‘Children of the Corn’ started, and he settled into his seat, ready to enjoy the rest of their date. The scenery of Nebraska rolled out on screen, cornfields and all. It reminded him of Hawkins, but then, they were both part of the Midwest, so it made sense.

On screen, the little kid Job had just received his strawberry milkshake at the diner when fat, cold raindrops began pelting them. Seconds later, it turned into a deluge. The bag of kettle corn and the drinks were abandoned as they moved quickly to try and get to the closest shelter. Unfortunately, where they were, the closest shelter was the Boo Barn, named for the children to go into and have a few kid-friendly scares, and by the time they got there, everyone else had already filled it up. The doors were closed to anyone else.

“Well, shit,” Steve commented. They were soaked to the skin, and the rain was showing no signs of stopping.

“It’s okay, Steve,” Eddie reassured him. “It’s just rain.”

Steve turned to look at him and burst out laughing. Eddie’s wild hair was now a mess: completely waterlogged. He looked like a drowned cat, which only made Steve laugh harder.

“Something in my hair?” Eddie asked, laughing as well. He reached for Steve’s hands and pulled him away from the Barn.

Steve took it upon himself to pull Eddie back into his arms and then spin him back out, almost as if they were dancing. The lyrics to a Lady Gaga song came into his mind then, and he sang-yelled:

I’d rather be dry, but at least I’m alive! Rain, rain on me

He repeated this, pulling Eddie close, pretending he was dancing with him as they made their way back to Eddie’s van, water dripping everywhere once they were seated inside. The rain was still coming down in sheets, fogging up the windshield, turning the whole world outside watery grey as it continued pouring.

Eddie looked out the window and shook his head, water from his hair flying onto the dashboard. “It’s not stopping any time soon,” he said as he got up from the driver’s seat and moved into the back of the van. He had put a thin mattress with some pillows and a few blankets back there years ago. It was handy to have a place to sleep when you were a struggling musician and couldn’t always afford a decent motel room. “I have towels back here,” he said, grabbing a red one out of a canvas bag, and beginning to wring his hair out. “They’re clean, I promise.” They had been in the bag that he’d put back there earlier in the summer when there had been plans to go to the pool. Those plans had fallen through, and he’d just never gotten around to moving them back out.

Thank you, Past Eddie for being lazy.

Steve followed Eddie into the back, grabbing a green towel to wipe himself off. He grimaced at the way his shirt was sticking to his skin. “I don’t suppose you’d have an extra shirt I could wear, do you?”

Eddie rooted through the bag, tongue out in concentration, before he pulled out a black tank top. “This is the best I can do for you,” he said. Steve reached for the tank top, but Eddie pulled it back, eyebrow raising.

“Trying to play keep-away, huh?” Steve asked, lunging forward to grab Eddie by the wrist. He pulled him flush against his body, wrapping his arms around him to hold him while they kissed. He ran his hands up Eddie’s damp back, pushing his shirt up. “Take this off,” Steve breathed, sucking Eddie’s bottom lip before he resumed kissing him.

Eddie responded by pushing Steve’s own shirt up, both of them breaking away from the other to get out of their damp clothes. Once they were both shirtless, they began kissing again in earnest, Eddie moving forward to lay on top of Steve on the blankets. “Is this okay? Is this too much?” Eddie asked, slotting his left leg between Steve’s thighs. From what he could feel, it was not too much, and seeing as how this was their third date, he assumed something would happen.

He also didn’t want to assume and be disappointed. The signs were there, though. And he still had the memory of Steve’s kiss before they got soaked to the skin.

Steve swallowed thickly. “No, it’s not too much,” he said, looking down at where Eddie was pressing into him. “Can you take these off of me?” he asked, bringing Eddie’s hands to the waistband of his jeans. Not everything he wanted to do tonight would happen in the van, but he wanted some of it. He wanted Eddie fiercely, and that need was growing by the minute.

Eddie kissed him once more and then sat up, straddling Steve’s thigh. He unbuttoned and unzipped Steve’s jeans, beginning to pull them down. They stuck a little to Steve’s skin and Eddie gave them a strong pull. As this happened, he pulled down part of Steve’s underwear on his left hip. He looked down, and immediately froze, his face going pale.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked. He glanced down at where Eddie was looking and he froze, too.

Unlike Eddie, whose tattoos adorned him in numerous visible spaces, Steve’s tattoo was hidden. It was a small crown on his left hip, just under the waistband of his jeans. Robin was with Steve when he got it: right after he was kicked out of his house when his Dad found out he was gay. Robin had taken him in immediately, and he had set up in her two-bedroom apartment with the meager belongings he’d managed to grab on his way out the door.

The problem was that Steve didn’t have access to a lot of money. Just what was in his bank account, which his father could not touch, thankfully. He had applied for numerous jobs, but wasn’t able to get much. He was starting to panic around the first of the month before he landed a job as a host at a local restaurant. The pay wasn’t much, but it was money, and he could at least give Robin his share of the rent, and buy some things he needed.

While Steve applied for other, better paying jobs online, he kept seeing people talk about their OnlyFans sites, and how much money they made. He made his own account, Hail to the King, using the pseudonym King Sexy. Robin had laughed herself sick when he told her the names, and the tattoo had followed soon after.

Steve never shared his face. Made sure he had no identifying rings or watches on when he posted his pictures. And especially not when he posted his videos. The only thing his subscribers could see was the tattoo, and they ate it up. He made a lot of money with his content, and there were more than a few accounts who made his live streams very lucrative indeed.

“Why do you have that tattoo?” Eddie asked, voice quiet as he traced the edges of the crown.

“Uh…I uh…” Steve struggled for an answer before something dawned on him. “Wait, does it…You can’t be bothered by it when you have…” he trailed off, eyes roving over Eddie’s torso and arms. If he was bothered by it, he was a major hypocrite.

“No! No, I’m not…I just….” Eddie exhaled and put his hands over his eyes. “I just didn’t realize that you were King Sexy until this moment.”

Record scratch.

“What the- You- I-”

“Yes, exactly,” Eddie answered. His shoulders were shaking, and for a second, Steve worried he was about to cry. This fear evaporated when Eddie burst out laughing, tears coming out of his eyes as he doubled over. “Oh my God, this cannot be my life!” At Steve’s confused expression, Eddie managed to say, “I’m BardsCurse666.”

A laugh of his own burst out of Steve. What were the freaking odds? One of his best customers on his account was someone he was on a third date with.

They fell over one another laughing hysterically, until they physically couldn’t anymore. Eddie was sobbing with laughter, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Oh my God, oh my God.” He sounded like he was pleading, holding his stomach.

Steve managed to get himself under control quicker, though he was still wiping his eyes as he giggled into his hand. He looked over at Eddie laid out on the blankets behind him. “Is this…Does this change anything?”

Eddie snorted. “Hell no it doesn’t change anything.” He reached for Steve’s hand. “Well, I guess the only thing that will change is that I may not be as active on the site. Since I have King Sexy all to myself.”

Steve grinned wickedly and crawled over to him, looming over Eddie’s body. “You certainly do. Let me know if you want to be part of things in the future.”

Eddie groaned and pulled Steve down for a blistering kiss. “There’s enough time to talk about that later.”

“Indeed,” Steve agreed, kissing him back just as fiercely.

[tokuvivor]

A collaboration courtesy of me and @queer-in-a-cornfield!

Della runs into Launchpad while looking for clearance Halloween candy, and the two talk a bit more about the holiday.

[moqi2004]

uhmmM UHMMM CORN YAOI MARRIAGE BANTER MAYBE? FIC WHERE THEY ARE HAPPY AND MARRIED AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER..........

Anon to let you know I saw you ask this literally like four minutes after the post went up, I was beyond amazed. Ask speedrun award goes to this person.

Also sorry I made your happy happy fic hurt/comfort I couldn't help myself...

Marriage Banter

Words: 913

cross-posted on Ao3

tags: hurt/comfort, wedding anniversary, lazy mornings, breakfast in bed, self-doubt, fluff, Dalv being kinda traumatised but he's doing his best, hugs and kisses, no beta.

Summary: Dalv overthinks about his past. His husband unknowingly cheers him up with a little surprise on a special day.

Fic under the cut :) enjoy

Dalv never expected this would be him. That life could be kind to him. He had spent an entire year hiding… Not of the unknown, mind you - the unknown was his only friend back then. No, it was the known that was truly scary. What he’d seen with his own eyes, felt within his own chest, tasted within his fearful breaths. The sound of her cries… He couldn’t deal with that life, where he could be hurt all over again. No, hiding was safer. His cornfield was there, his projects. Pops and Broom were his only friends… Sure, Penilla and Decibat were kind to him, but that was it. 

Then Clover showed up. Clover, who reached out their hand even when Dalv attacked them. Clover, who showed them he couldn’t predict the world by hiding. Clover, who made time to visit him in Snowdin. Clover, who he never got a chance to say goodbye to… 

No. Dalv’s eyelids fluttered open. Now was not the time for that. Not today.

He rolled over to his side, only to find the bed empty. Where… Where was his husband? This wasn’t the first time Dalv had woken up alone, but usually he knew about it beforehand. He knew that they would be spending the day together, and yet his absence only made him paranoid… Dalv shook his head. Not. Today. No getting in his own head! Everything would be okay. Everything is-

Dalv snapped to attention. The door creaked open, just a notch. For a few seconds, there was nothing… From the gap in the door, Dalv could see something. He squinted, focusing as hard as he could, and yet he couldn’t make it out. It was then that, higher up from the object, something yellow moved to peek through the crevice. An eye was staring at him, the white shining from the glasses protecting them. He noticed it widen, which made Dalv lift a hand up to suppress his laughter.

“Dal, yer not supposed to be awake! Goshdarn it…”

Dalv couldn’t hold it in, his face scrunching as he giggled. The door fully opened itself to reveal his husband, dressed in casual teal sweatpants and a black shirt with a sleeping horse on it reading “ride off into dreamland”. Dalv recalled that Starlo’s posse got that shirt for him. Dalv then realised what the object he couldn’t describe was: the corner of a tray. It was now fully in view, holding two steaming breakfast plates. On it was some sausages, hash browns, and-

“Corn?” Dalv tilted his head slightly, a fond smile forming on his face.

“‘Course!” Starlo smirked proudly, “straight from my parent’s farm! Only the best fer you.”

Starlo walked next to Dalv and carefully placed the tray in his lap, the fresh corn smell causing Dalv’s mouth to water. Starlo leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Dalv’s cheek before moving to his side of the bed, sliding in next to his husband and reaching over for his own plate of food.

“Mmmm, this is so good,” Dalv munched contently, “your cooking is getting better and better by the day.”

“I hope so,” Starlo sighed, “can’t have Martlet fixin’ the stove again…”

“Or Ceroba scolding you,” Dalv smiled.

“Angel above, especially not that…”

“Oh, uh, and about that entrance?”

“It was suppos’ta be a surprise!” Starlo moved his hand to rest between the points on his head, “nothin’ much, mind you, but just a lil’ somethin fer-”

Dalv watched, amused, as Starlo’s face flushed a deep red. Starlo collected himself with a deep breath, a tell Dalv had learnt over the last year of their marriage and their time dating before that. Starlo quickly flipped to his North Star persona, leaning towards Dalv with a wink.

“A lil’ somethin for the most charmin vampire in the Wild East.”

Dalv felt his own cheeks warm at the corny attempt at flirting. Even after Starlo grew more confident to be himself around Dalv, he still couldn’t deny being charmed by both sides of his husband - the confident sheriff and the dorky farmboy. Starlo then leaned forwards to press a light peck to Dalv’s lips. The contact was fleeting and brief, yet it hit Dalv square in his soul. He turned away, beet red, noticing Starlo do the same out of the corner of his eye. Dalv melted completely at the sight.

The two of them soon recovered from their lovestruck thoughts and enjoyed their lazy morning breakfast, Starlo chatting constantly between mouthfulls.

“So, I’ve got tha whole day planned out,” he gave Dalv finger guns, “first, this. Then imma give you my gift; thought I’d tell ya instead of makin’ it a surprise. Then we’ll head on down to Snowdin for a lunch break, cause I know ya love the food they’ve got over at the Honeydew Resort. After that, we come back here and celebrate a lil bit with Ceroba, Martlet, and my posse. And finally, there’s nothin planned for the evenin’! Just, uh, potentially cowboy movies and cuddlin..? I didn’t wanna do anything too crazy since I know yer prefer time to recharge and-”

“It sounds perfect, Star,” Dalv leant against Starlo’s shoulder, content.

Dalv mentally thanked Clover for allowing him this chance. For the opportunity to make friends, to take steps he never thought possible. Without meeting Clover, Dalv would have never met Starlo.

“Happy Anniversary, Dal,” Starlo wrapped his arms around Dalv’s smaller frame, “love ya’.”

“Love you too.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's note:

ANON I HOPE THIS IS GOOD HONESTLY I MIGHT HAVE GONE TOO FAR FROM WHAT YOU WERE ASKING FOR BUT ONCE THE IDEAD WAS IN MY HEAD I COULDN'T STOP ;w;

As of making this post (the 16th of January 2024) asks are still open! You can find more info by going to my pinned blog post :)

REBLOGS > LIKES

[radioactive-earthshine]

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Gen Fandoms: Superboy (Comics), DCU (Comics) Relationship: Kon-El | Conner Kent & Simon Valentine Characters: Kon-El | Conner Kent, Simon Valentine Words: 3,601

Summary When Kon came back to Smallville from Gemworld, the whole world forgot that he ever existed - but even though this new world supposedly went on without him his presence still left a mark on Smallville and some people couldn't forget about him entirely.

Like Simon Valentine.

Kon and Simon meet up with each other to sort out their feelings around the reboot and what was lost, and what might be in store for them in the future.

Excerpt

Kon still liked walking the three miles into Smallville from the Kent farm, not flying.  He liked the quietness of the long road that cleaved wheat and cornfields in half, and seeing how each crop grew a little more each day under a sky that stretched on forever. To Kon, Hickory Lane was a place that he could get lost in, like how some people lost themselves in the forest or on the beach, and everything felt right.  Even in a world that had rebooted without him, and almost everyone had forgotten his face, his quiet walk down Hickory Lane was unchanged.  Two miles into his walk there was a power line that the crows favored, and every time he walked by them they peered down at him as if studying him. As Kon passed them he wondered if they recognized him, that maybe even individual birds were rebooted. It would have just been his luck that while the majority of humanity forgot all about him, animals retained their memories of him in perfect clarity. At least Krypto seemed to remember him, but unless he suddenly developed the ability to speak English he couldn’t tell for sure.

Read more on AO3!

[whoa-where-did-the-pancakes-go]

Nevermind nebraska im wisconsining these bitches

[naffeclipse]

Chapter 8: The Episode Surrounded By Howls

FNAF Cryptid!Sun/Moon x Cryptid Hunter!Y/N (SFW)

This time, you wait until you clear your mouth of food before replying with a chuckle. “Yes. They’re extremely violent. I’ve heard of several cryptid hunters getting killed by those kinds of cryptids.” You realize half a second later that you probably shouldn’t have mentioned that last tidbit just as Sun’s optics flick immediately to your face. His hands clench the wet paper towel tighter to your palm. For a moment, the pressure almost makes the bones of your hand creak before he lets go. A coolness settles into the camper. You ignore the shudder it brings with it.

Word Count: ~14,700 Warnings: Animal death/gore, gore, blood, injury, death, guns, past-trama, night terrors, anxiety, and heart-eating.

A/N: Wow, an episode that only fits into one chapter! I was aiming for a smaller episode for this one, but, of course, it got bigger than I planned. There wasn't any real way to cut it in half without ruining the flow, so you guys get this long chapter!

Sun kisses your boo-boo better, you take a drive down a road, then there's a full moon and a poor cow, and a cornfield that brings back a very haunting time for you, then Moon kisses your boo-boo better.

[queer-lovebot]

Andrew takes his boyfriends (and the rest of the Foxes) to a farm to bring some child-like whimsy to their relationship. It goes about as well and one would expect.

.

Did the 2024 @aftgreverse ! Had a good time! My artist, Amaza, came up with a fun, silly prompt. Their art is below! Def give it a try.

[alex31624]

Scrooge, Webby and Dewey visit Peru in time for the last week of…

Here it is, the last part of the Duckverse June 2024 fic.

Scrooge, Webby and Dewey found an interesting creature. Since I read The Son of the Sun recently, I put some references of that here and there.

This is part of the last week of @duckversejune2024, and this week theme is Mystical Creatures.

As always, thanks to @tokuvivor, @queer-in-a-cornfield and @secret-tester for hosting.

I had a lot of fun writing for this event.

[writebackatya]

7 (for Della), 9, 15, 17 (for Gandra), 23

7. Is there a piece of clothing you think Della is particularly fond of/that you like a lot or like to draw them in?

Besides her standard outfit? I’d like Della to bring back fashion that was popular back before she got to the moon. Imagine her rolling in on some Heelys while rocking a pair of jorts, a trucker hat, and an Ed Hardy’s shirt

9. Write a recommendation of someone else’s fic you enjoyed!

@tokuvivor and @queer-in-a-cornfield wrote a lovely story featuring Launchpad and Della https://archiveofourown.org/works/56213182

15. Have you noticed you style change over time?

Kind of? I don’t know. Honestly lately I’ve been struggling to really think about what my style is honestly

17. What’s a book, movie, or show you think Gandra would like?

I strongly believe Gandra Dee watched The Matrix at a young age and that movie awakened so much in her

23. Has your favorite character/ship changed over time?

I’d say for the most part, no. I still love Della but I guess my love for Fendra has grown since the pairing was introduced in the show

[ranadino]

i wrote my first ever fanfic!!!:DD c!crimeboys for ever and ever amen

[rjzimmerman]

Hidden in Midwestern Cornfields, Tiny Edens Bloom. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

The little tracts of wilderness grow on Maple Edge Farm in southwest Iowa, where the Bakehouse family cultivates 700 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Set against uniform rows of cropland, the scraps of land look like tiny Edens, colorful and frowzy. Purple bergamot and yellow coneflowers sway alongside big bluestem and other grasses, alive with birdsong and bees.

The Bakehouses planted the strips of wild land after floodwaters reduced many fields to moonscapes three years ago, prompting the family to embark on a once-unthinkable path.

They took nearly 11 acres of their fields out of crop production, fragments of farmland that ran alongside fields and in gullies. Instead of crops, they sowed native flowering plants and grasses, all species that once filled the prairie.

The restored swaths of land are called prairie strips, and they are part of a growing movement to reduce the environmental harms of farming and help draw down greenhouse gas emissions, while giving fauna a much-needed boost and helping to restore the land.

As the little wildernesses grew, more and more meadowlarks, dickcissels, pheasants and quail showed up, along with beneficial insects. Underground, root networks formed to quietly perform heroic feats, filtering dangerous nutrient runoff from crops, keeping soil in place and bringing new health to the land.

The fertile soils of America’s vast prairies made the heartland ideal for growing crops. But today in Iowa, less than 0.1 percent of original prairie remains, scattered in fragments around the state.

Prairie strips are helping to reverse that loss, and are being adopted at an increasing clip. Researchers counted 586 acres of prairie strips on farmland across seven states in 2019. As of last year, they had spread to 14 states, filling 22,972 acres.

While the acreage accounts for a tiny fraction of the Midwest’s farm fields — Iowa alone has roughly 30 million acres of cropland — researchers said the strips had disproportionately positive impacts.

“There are a whole suite of dramatic environmental benefits that come with this small intervention,” said Lisa Schulte Moore, a professor of natural resource ecology and management at Iowa State University, and a founder of its prairie strips project. “If you put a bit of prairie back, it makes a big difference.”

To be classified as a prairie strip, restored land must adjoin active cropland, reach a width of at least 30 feet and be sown with dozens of native plant species.

Researchers at Iowa State found that when prairie strips were planted in and around soy and corn fields, they acted as both “speed bumps and diapers,” Professor Schulte Moore said.

Soil erosion and surface runoff plummeted, as the prairie plants held soil in place and transpired water. Levels of nitrogen and phosphorus carried in surface runoff from adjacent cropland decreased by as much as 70 percent, absorbed instead by the prairie strips, resulting in less water contamination. The prairie strips created better conditions for helpful bacteria, resulting in dramatically lower levels of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas generated by chemical fertilizer, compared to cropland without prairie strips. The strips also drew twice as many native grassland birds and three times as many beneficial insects, compared to fields that had not been rewilded.

While the research did not show that prairie strips affected yields in adjacent cropland, tests found that the strips boosted the health and fertility of the soil where they were sown. “When people buy farms, they’re buying the soil,” Professor Schulte Moore said.