While lawns are ubiquitous in our suburban landscape, this monoculture of grass is of little value to the native ecosystem. It is a time and money sink due to required maintenance, especially under trees and on hills where grass tends not to grow well. The way we maintain lawns also does direct harm to the environment: fertilizers and pesticides that we apply to keep it full and green kill beneficial insects and pollute waterways. Let go of this burden and rethink the structure of your yard by shrinking the size of your lawn to reduce the negative impacts on wildlife and replacing it with landscaping filled with native plants!
How to get started:
Make an assessment of your lawn. Ask yourself what parts you use and what parts you don’t. Are there areas where you struggle to get grass to grow well? Keep the lawn that you use for relaxing and playing outdoors, and convert the rest to landscaping. You don’t have to do this all at once. Start by planting a tree or shrub. Expand areas that are already landscaped.
Also consider mowing your lawn less frequently, particularly in April and May when spring ephemerals pop up in the lawn. As suggested by the “No Mow May Movement”, you can support pollinators by delaying mowing while the spring flowers (such as violets) are blooming.
Photos by Susan O'Donnell
How to get started:
Make an assessment of your lawn. Ask yourself what parts you use and what parts you don’t. Are there areas where you struggle to get grass to grow well? Keep the lawn that you use for relaxing and playing outdoors, and convert the rest to landscaping. You don’t have to do this all at once. Start by planting a tree or shrub. Expand areas that are already landscaped.
Also consider mowing your lawn less frequently, particularly in April and May when spring ephemerals pop up in the lawn. As suggested by the “No Mow May Movement”, you can support pollinators by delaying mowing while the spring flowers (such as violets) are blooming.
Photos by Susan O'Donnell
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