How about that yard full of invasives - non-native grass, forbs, shrubs, trees - most Americans (and until a few years ago myself) see as not just good but inviolable, an unquestioned and necessary element of the "good life." Home, hearth, and that sterile expanse of turfgrass that supports... nothing. No arthropods, no insects, no amphibians, no birds, no anything. The perfect lawn is a perfect desert to any living thing besides, umm, us humans. Maybe that's just fine with some folks (although I'd like to ask said folks how they'd like it if all the grocery stores disappeared), but really it's not fine, at all. This is not news; Doug Tallamy and the Xerces Society have been speaking and educating on this subject for awhile now, but as this is a blog about terrestrial invasive plants and the damage these do to ecosystems and biodiversity, it seems appropriate to mention the largest (actually, massive) infestation of invasive species in the word, the suburban American lawn. If you're already aware of how far reaching the damage of this unfortunate and seriously ill-advised practice is, then good on you. If not, watch the short version of Mr. Tallamy's walkthrough I've linked below and listen as he lays out the numbers.....and they are some numbingly large numbers.
If this piqued your interest I highly recommend his book "Bringing Nature Home,"
which explains in depth how much damage the American lawn and non-native landscape plants have done to North American ecosystmems and biodiversity. The sheer scale of it is actually a little hard to wrap your head around.
The good news - and we could all use some good news, right? - is that everyone who owns property dominated by turfgrass and non-native trees, shrubs, and forbs can do something about it, and without a ton of effort. Passive rewilding works , as I can attest. All it takes is a stewardship mindset and a willingness to do the right thing for the natural world. As a lover of functional ecosystems and biodiversity, and as a seasoned yard rewilder, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions anyone might have about what, why, when, where, and how to turn a sterile putting green into an explosion of life - right in your front and back yards.
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