The brown patch of vegetation silently speaks volumes.

Leaves curl into unnatural shapes; branches begin to wither.

Chemicals sprayed days before slowly leech out chlorophyll, the special chemical that many of us first heard about in elementary school.

Chlorophyll is the substance that gives living plants a green color.

Natchez is filled with chlorophyll. Our lush gardens and scenic streets are nearly as alluring to outsiders as the stately mansions that erupt sporadically through the greenscape.

But sometime a few days ago Natchez lost some of its color. What was once lush is now dry and crackling in the wind.

A large swath of brown can be seen near one of Natchez’s most beautiful scenes.

Tourists and residents alike driving down Homochitto Street have a disturbingly brown interruption as they approach antebellum Dunleith, easily one of Natchez’s most recognized, most beautiful tourism draws.

You see, someone decided to spray some kind of plant-killing chemical all along the edges of the roadway just before you get to Dunleith, heading toward downtown Natchez on Homochitto.

That happens when someone is asked to do a job and that someone is really more worried about speed than quality.

Why worry about what it looks like? Just spray it and we won’t have to cut it again anytime soon.

It’s a good assumption that most of the victims in the Great Homochitto Street Defoliation of 2008 were likely weeds.

But that’s not the point. The point is that Natchez should expect better.

Perhaps, the City of Natchez should begin providing some leadership in terms of the way the city looks.

What would happen if the city bit the bullet and moved some funds from the city planning department — which became bloated under the watch of the last administration — and hired a horticulturist?

Perhaps having an expert on staff would prevent such brown streaks along one of the entrances to the city.

Or, maybe a horticulturist could have prevented some of the tree butchering that caused so much flak a few months back when contractors for Entergy began clearing limbs from near power lines.

A trained expert would be on the lookout for small things that, when not tended, standout. For example, tree lines look odd when one tree in the line dies. A horticulturist would know to fix it, and fix it with a tree of similar age and size.

An expert would know which trees need trimmed and which flowerbeds need attention.

And, perhaps most important, a horticulturist wouldn’t allow someone to kill the vegetation and the view on one of the prettiest drives in Natchez.

Hiring an expert may seem like a luxury, but it’s not. In addition to having a skilled person in charge of shaping the city’s look, that person might ultimately save the city some labor, too, by knowing how to select plants that require little upkeep.

In the meantime, the brown streak of dead vegetation on Homochitto Street is screaming out “help wanted: apply at City Hall.”

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevincooper@natchezdemocrat.com.