Grass and Neighbors

Last summer many of my neighbors had massive die-offs of the grasses in their lawns.  This year many of them refurbished lawns, others just put up with an increasing number of weeds.

[Me?  Who's trying to get rid of the lawn in the front?  My grass looks great - just a few weeds, very healthy.  No sign of whatever problem the others had.  It's interesting that the lawns that were most affected seem to be the ones who were either professionally maintained or heavily managed by the homeowners and those of us who tolerate weeds and don't bother with pesticides or herbicides or synthetic fertilizers didn't have problems.]

Last weekend one of my neighbors rented a sod cutter and pulled up the grass in their front and side yards.

He's talking about wanting a lawn with grass of "one color."

[Hmmmm...  I bet he wouldn't like to know my source for clover seed, huh?]

I hope he doesn't start using more poisons to maintain a perfect monoculture.  Those chemicals might bother the little ecosystem I've created in my yard.  The ecosystem that is full of bugs and snakes and rabbits and birds and weeds and self-seeding perennials and color and movement.  Not to mention the probability that a compound that kills something (ie anything that ends in -cide) is going to have some effect on me and my family.  There are several suggestive studies tying professionally maintained chemlawns with cancer in dogs and overuse of pesticides with several neurological conditions and...  [I do wonder about the correlation between increased use of pesticides and herbicides with the increased rate of Autism - cause and effect or just coincidence?  I'd like to see a publication on this...]

[stepping off the soap box now.  More information?  Try Safelawns or Lawn Reform Coalition]

Let's end with a cheerful picture.

There.  I feel better, don't you?