Buttercups

Are buttercups an indicator species? If so for what? What are the uses? I have several acres with which to work. Thanks!

Water logged acidity and low organic matter. There bad browse for mamals as it causes blisters, my rabbits of had some dried the ducks can eat it but only when starved of greens. They won't get it under control by any mean's, what you have is an opportunity for bee's right now between the early nectar sources and the late onces comes buttercup by the yellow droves to carry the bee's through a wet late spring when everything else that flower's is gone in a week. You can't mulch with buttercups unless you have a total soil barrier or have dried them severely, there a wonderful fire barrier but i've had plenty continue growing when thrown in a bucket that collected rainwater. They really can take inundation and drought really well. You might as well put bee's over it and get a honey yield cuzz bee's or no bees it's going to seed and grow insanely from the rhizomes. The only way i've found to to suppress it and their seeds is to solarize the ground for a summer then pull off to trigger germination then solarize it again all winter, but that's no broad scale solution. They can be anywhere between 6 inches to 2 feet tall depending on how happy they are, the only thing i've noticed seems to hold them back is potato's but you have to block their spring head start.

How do buttercups affect pigs?

buttercups are poison, but some animals will eat them to regulate health situations..our dog used to eat them ..

I'm gunna try the rabbit's on it probably dried at first in volume then try it fresh and check for diarrhea, Creeping Buttercup is the least poisonous of the buttercups and would make a great forage and last into the winter.
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=3
Although it is usually avoided by stock creeping buttercup is more palatable than the other buttercups and may be grazed. However, it can cause diarrhoea in sheep and cattle. Creeping buttercup is said to deplete the land of potassium and may have an allelopathic effect on neighbouring plants.
Creeping buttercup plants are attacked by a number of insects, fungi and grazing animals. Partridges, pheasants and wood pigeons eat the seeds. Chickens and geese readily eat the leaves. Creeping buttercup tolerates rabbit grazing but growth becomes more prostrate.

Ive had luck out competing them with many plants.Fragaria mochata(musk strawberry)is probably the most productive competition.More invasive plants like perennial chervil or cow parsnip will do it to.

This is pretty much unrelated, but I wanted to say how much I love the fact that "permaculture people" seem to be aware of so many hardly known plants! I had never heard of musk strawberries before, and as a huge strawberry lover I now know that I just need to get me some. So, thank you! =D

From what I've read, moschuserdbeere (German for musk strawberry) used to be the most popular strawberry in Europe.
They have some serious pollination issues, so growers gradually switched to the newer hybrids to get higher yields.

However, neither female plants nor hermaphrodite plants are self-fertile;
they require pollen transfer from a male or a different hermaphrodite clone
(or cultivar) of the same species, which is usually achieved by insect pollinators.

Cultivars:

* 'Capron royal', hermaphrodite
* 'Askungen' (Truedsson) hermaphrodite
* 'Marie Charlotte' (Hans) hermaphrodite
* 'Bauwens', female
* Fragaria moschata '(Capron)', female
* 'Profumata di Tortona', female
* 'Siegerland', female
* 'Cotta', male

They should be larger than an Alpine Strawberry, and more flavorful than a commercial store-bought strawberry.
Sounds like something I need to try.