Ode to the Boll Weevil

When Todd and I learned that we were moving to Alabama, we started looking for housing. One of the first things I noticed was that most of the major businesses were located on a street called Boll Weevil Circle. That did not bode well for a bug-enemy like me.

Sure enough, it turns out the main street that circles downtown is named after the boll weevil. Actually, there are several honorable mentions for the above-mentioned insect. The most notable is the enormous monument in the center of downtown. The woman is holding a boll weevil high above her head, in order for it to be honored, I believe.

This is the plaque on the monument.


I did some research and learned that the reason for all of this fuss is that long ago, farmers in the area all grew cotton. One day a huge swarm of boll weevils swept through town and destroyed all the cotton. The farmers decided to start a new crop to try to maintain their livelyhood, and chose peanuts. It turned out peanuts were a grand success in the area.

My very first day substitute teaching out here, I came across this book in the classroom. It tells the story of Billy the Boll Weevil, giving the farmer the great idea to plant peanuts instead of cotton. Please notice that the subtitle is "A pest becomes a hero."

I have been meaning to post about this ever since we moved out here, but it took a while to get a great picture of the monument. I would always either not have my camera with me, or the lighting would be bad, or there would be too much traffic (it's in the center if the intersection). Long story short, I found that picture online and it reminded me I needed to post this great info.

Long live the boll weevil!