When we bought our house it had a lawn in the backyard. I never really liked taking care of it. Last year I worked on getting rid of the bermuda grass in my back yard. This year I put out some wild flower seeds and watched what came up. I still worked on removing the plants I didn't want, but I let a lot of the weeds come up. Most of the seeds I put out didn't take, but that's fine. I got to know the natural plants that come up. Others look at it and see an unkempt yard, but it makes me much happier than my lawn ever did. It's green, it takes less water (zero) and if you watch closely there are more birds, bees, lady bugs, and others than I ever saw with the lawn.
Stories like this one of a more careful management of land make me hopeful. I'm working to get something better going with my little plot of land too.
I've thrown out wildflower seeds many times on my lawn, but nothing took root. So I've been trying simply mowing it once a month to keep the blackberries and scotch broom from taking over, and seeing what happens.
(Blackberries and scotch broom run amok if left alone, and the former creates an impenetrable hedge taller than myself with a dead zone underneath, everything else choked out. It takes repeated mowings over several years to finally kill them.)
I have a nice moss carpet in and little plants that bloom purple flowers in the spring. I think perfect grass myth is something that should be done away with, often times if you let the natural plants grow in they keep other weeds like dandelions out. I still mow, but I just let the grass grow where it needs to or places where nothing else is growing. I don't need to fertilize or harm the water drainage either.
Not sure where you are based but have you considered getting in touch with your local environmental groups or speaking to native plant enthusiasts at plant nurseries, botanical gardens or gardening events? Typically there is a lot of local knowledge with respect to both exotic (eg. classic food producing) and local species and propagation techniques and people are very happy to share experiences. In Australia we have many cross-pollinating communities in this space including growers associations, gardening societies, permaculture, bush care, native plant groups, national parks associations, etc.
Also, check out http://inaturalist.org/ - challenge yourself to spot one new local species of plant, animal or fungi every day. AI and people will help you identify them. It's an awesomely gamified natural nerd-out.
Your comment reminded me of Michael Pollans book: Second nature. Its a really interesting book that talks about gardening, and also starts by talking about lawn care and how we are all made to believe that a trimmed lawn is the American way.
As well as the advice elsewhere in the thread about reducing soil fertility to prevent grasses outcompeting wildflowers, it's worth noting that many species may take more than one year to establish. Annuals like — in the UK — poppies and cornflowers are more likely to grow the first summer after they're planted so can be used as attractive cover whilst perenials are taking seed.
One issue with this in the northeast USA is the increasing prevalence and danger of ticks and tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease (which I had once and do not want again). I haven't yet figured out how to reconcile my respect for that danger with my hatred of green lawns.
Texas in the spring is wonderful. Everyone is out taking pictures in the massive fields of bluebonnets and indian paintbrush. Of course, it can also cause traffic issues as people pull over to do the photo op in the medians.
Where we live ditches that don’t need the full capacity of an open ditch have been filled with gravel and then perennial flowering plants have been seeded. The place was absolut teeming with butterflies, bees and bumble bees.
They must be doing the same thing along I-80 as well. For several years, I have been seeing these patches of bright pink/purple flowers here in NJ and been wondering about them as they looked too regular to be entirely natural. I love them and they add some much needed color to the landscape.
What a marvelous initiative. We should be doing this everywhere.
In a house where I used to live, I left as much as possible as meadow (because I am lazy and too cheap to water it), cutting it only twice a year to reduce the fire risk. Everybody else installed the golf course style lawns. I had the best looking yard by a mile :-) and was very happy with it.
Though for my own information, and forgive my ignorance... is that the kind of pseudo-bokeh you get from a camera phone? Or was that you being very artistic? Either way the shots are nicely composed.
I love this story. I don’t see why they need to reinvent the wheel with the sucking machine and taking the clippings to an anaerobic digestion facility though. A method for removing clippings and doing something useful with them has been around for centuries, it is called baling hay.
Have you ever seen them work, or seen data on them? I've never had them work, and they don't seem like they would either - bunch of seeds landing in a ball together would lead to too much competition, right? That is, if they didn't sprout while the ball initially dried.
My guess is that loss of individuals to vehicle strike is not important for the overall population. What's important is the carrying capacity of the habitat which, according to this article, has been significantly increased.
It's likely as nothing compared to running over the strip with a tractor / slasher twice a year ... BUT I expect the timings of those ensure minimal impact to the life cycles of the insects, plus most that are in a mobile phase of their life will likely fly out of the way quickly enough.
Either way, the fact numbers are increasingly rapidly suggests the tradeoff is in favour of the butterflies.
Most butterflies will mate, make territories and remain in the flowered area. As they have yet all that they want, the need to move on and cross the road will decrease. Many butterflies will lay in weeds also so the area is safe for they for most of this live cycle. And in winter they simply will migrate. Is much better than the other option, safer for bikers and cheaper for the government.
[+] [-] jay-anderson|6 years ago|reply
Stories like this one of a more careful management of land make me hopeful. I'm working to get something better going with my little plot of land too.
[+] [-] WalterBright|6 years ago|reply
(Blackberries and scotch broom run amok if left alone, and the former creates an impenetrable hedge taller than myself with a dead zone underneath, everything else choked out. It takes repeated mowings over several years to finally kill them.)
[+] [-] surge|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] contingencies|6 years ago|reply
Also, check out http://inaturalist.org/ - challenge yourself to spot one new local species of plant, animal or fungi every day. AI and people will help you identify them. It's an awesomely gamified natural nerd-out.
[+] [-] jimkri|6 years ago|reply
https://www.amazon.com/Second-Nature-Gardeners-Michael-Polla...
[+] [-] jgraham|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nerdponx|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] montalbano|6 years ago|reply
PSA - Kill Your Lawn w/ Silphium terebinthinaceum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz9I2YwmV8M
(Also related HN discussion on another of his videos: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21041193)
[+] [-] 2sk21|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] masonhensley|6 years ago|reply
- https://www.wildflower.org/project/ecological-roadsides
- https://www.wildflower.org/plants-main
- https://texashighways.com/culture/people/a-runner-reflects-o...
- https://texashighways.com/wildflowers/
[+] [-] devurand|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] every|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bjelkeman-again|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] devb|6 years ago|reply
https://www.gspwildflowers.com/shop
[+] [-] 2sk21|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] CarVac|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] WalterBright|6 years ago|reply
In a house where I used to live, I left as much as possible as meadow (because I am lazy and too cheap to water it), cutting it only twice a year to reduce the fire risk. Everybody else installed the golf course style lawns. I had the best looking yard by a mile :-) and was very happy with it.
[+] [-] CarVac|6 years ago|reply
One cloverleaf near me had cosmos:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmG1mX94
[+] [-] jfengel|6 years ago|reply
Though for my own information, and forgive my ignorance... is that the kind of pseudo-bokeh you get from a camera phone? Or was that you being very artistic? Either way the shots are nicely composed.
[+] [-] JohnJamesRambo|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] frosted-flakes|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hinkley|6 years ago|reply
Essentially a ball of clay, seeds, and a small quantity of organic matter to facilitate distribution of seeds and reduce bird predation.
Please, please research native species if you decide to go this route.
[+] [-] gbell12|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] HeyLaughingBoy|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gbell12|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] oska|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Jedd|6 years ago|reply
Either way, the fact numbers are increasingly rapidly suggests the tradeoff is in favour of the butterflies.
[+] [-] pvaldes|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kevin_thibedeau|6 years ago|reply
Never let a good idea get in the way of British traditions.