I Smell Chemlawn
One of the neighbors here must be having the lawn sprayed with weed killer. It is one of the many lengths we go to in order to keep nature at bay and keep our .25 acres neat and tidy. We all claim to be nature lovers, but we strip our lots bare of any nature that might have existed and replace it with a neat and tidy lawn and a few neat and tidy plants from Europe or Asia we bought at Walmart. We have very little appreciation for the environment that is around us. Anything that doesn't fit our idea of what nature should be we cut, kill, or spray, and proudly show off the results to the neighbors, challenging them to keep up.
A prairie isn't neat and tidy. Last year's grass stems still blow in the breeze, the Black-eyed Susans never seem to grow in a row, and sticks, thorns, and bugs are everywhere. It takes time to appreciate this scrubby stand of Sideoats Grama and Poverty Grass for what it is, a haven for rare plants, a part of the past, and a unique, irreplacable treasure. Our little prairie is just one of countless unique natural spots. Most never get a name, and go unnoticed until eventually they are cut down, cleared, overrun by nonnative plants, or replaced with a tidier, sanitized version of themselves. At least for now, Box Hollow prairie won't share this fate. Maybe by restoring Box Hollow prairie we can not only save one unique natural place, but also inspire a little more appreciation for our environment and all the wild, untidy, natural things it contains.
posted by Ron @ 10:57 AM
1 Comments:
You are entitled to landscape your 0.25 acre as you see fit. However, my problem with a lot of the landscaping I see is based on the fact that your 0.25 acres isn't only yours, it is also 0.25 acres of the natural range of countless other species. In choosing a quarter acre of chemically-treated lawn, you're not just making an aesthetic choice, you're also choosing to exclude all of the plants and animals that naturally occur there. When everyone in the neighborhood chooses or feels they have to choose the same thing, the result is a barren neighborhood that supports very few of the organisms that naturally should occur there. And to accent our 0.25 acres of grass, many of us choose a Norway Maple or a hedge of Privet, or some other alien plants. Not only do these plants take the place of a native plant that would serve the same purpose while bringing a little bit of the natural history of the region back to life, and not only do they fail to support most of the birds and bees that the native alternative would, but these plants and others like them quickly spread outside the yard they started in and begin to take over natural areas (Box Hollow prairie is a fine example of this phenomenon). Again, a simple choice that has not so simple consequences. So, what do I have against people choosing to landscape their 0.25 acres as they see fit? Nothing. I am not protesing your ability to choose, I'm protesting the choices you are making. I think landscaping should be about returning at least portions of your 0.25 to something like a natural condition - in other words, making your yard a part of the landscape, not about stubbornly choosing to grow another 0.25 acres of lawn without thinking about the consequences.
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