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Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

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Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#81

Post by pbhjpbhj »

andrewg wrote: post #57
rbirkby wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friend once explained that boys are like dogs. They need exercising twice a day. A back yard and a ball are sufficient for that. A paved area is more likely than lawn to provide yet more trips to ER.

Isn’t that true of kids in general?

It might be, but that's not the anecdote they were sharing?

In my limited experience (ex cub leader [mixed sex groups], church kids helper, worked with children for 15 years; kids and nieces/nephews of my own) most boys behaviour declines rapidly if you don't "run them", but most girls aren't affected in the same way.

On our scout camps (mixed sex, mixed age, for the last 20 years at least) in free time the girls _tend_ to retreat to their tents and chat and the boys _tend_ to hit the field and run around like idiots. There's obviously a lot of selection bias in these groups too, they do outdoor pursuits, rough camping, etc. -- these girls are fit and hardy and as capable at kayaking/hiking/climbing/backwoodsmanship as the boys (indeed at the top end, 14yo, the girls are often fitter and stronger as they tend to grow a little earlier than the boys do). There's probably some observer bias too, of course, and this is anecdotal (but longitudinal).

My observations of toddlers at "mums & toddlers" groups suggests the ones who run around with a pram are usually boys (though that's far from exclusive; and the mothers [it's about 1:30 men] have very strong gender bias, which might be the origin of that effect).

YMMV.

Interested in other observations, FWIW I'm in the UK.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#82

Post by swebs »

onion2k wrote: post #66
AmericanChopper wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty much everything you find aesthetically pleasing is a primal instinct. The high-and-mighty-ness of this comment really beggars belief. I hope that somebody like yourself could confidently say you’ve never wasted your time on something frivolous like companionship or sexual needs.

Saying we like lawns because our cave-dwelling ancestors saw them as good hunting ground is fine, but to extend that to saying that's a reason why we should have them is not. We can ignore that particular primal urge if giving up lawns is good for the environment. The same goes for every other "primal instinct" - we've evolved to the point where we can make a conscious decision about what we do regardless of what our…

You can't consciously decide what you find visually appealing.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#83

Post by adrianN »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #76
Pfhreak wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh, interesting. I have a kid and I'm grateful we gave up our lawn. She plants in the spring, harvests, cooks, and preserves with us. She's excited to make pickles, jam, squash, pumpkins, corn, etc from things she's grown and tended to. She even got to pick out some of the flowers and make her own little square. Watching her step out to grab some blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries is one of the best feelings…

Where does she play ball games, set up a paddling pool, and wrestle? I'd agree if you have a house big enough to have a playroom, and have open space close by, it's probably easy enough. Our lawn is kinda a tiny, tiny, wildflower meadow, ie it's not cut much. The bees love the Clover.

When I was young we did those things in public parks. Except for the pool, we went to a public pool instead.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#84

Post by tpxl »

rwmj wrote: post #78
ravenstine wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's sad is dandelions are neither ugly nor bad for your lawn. They feed bees and the tap roots draw nutrients from deep in the soil, which also benefits the grass.

Don't forget you can eat them! Pick the heads and batter them to make a fascinating yellow tempura, just remember to cook them quickly because otherwise the flowers will close up. (You can also use the roots to make drinks but I find them rather bitter)

The leaves also make for a good salad.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#86

Post by 01100011 »

shartshooter wrote: post #27

Why do lawns even factor into the equation when the reality is that industry, farms, etc. own the majority of all water usage? I live in a desert area and hate seeing lawns watered in the middle of the summer but its impact seems trivial. Agriculture is a major user of ground and surface water in the United States, accounting for approximately 80 percent of the Nation's consumptive water use and over 90 percent in ma…

Sure, if you save water they'll just build a new golf course and someone else will use the water. But at least you don't have to pay for the water. You also get a more interesting yard that supports wildlife.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#87

Post by viburnum »

Over the years my lawn has shrunk to nothing as my flowerbeds and shrubs expanded. Now my garden is full of hummingbirds most of the year. It makes me so happy to see the little critters buzzing around. I also get a lot of other birds too, funny little migrating things that stay for a few days while passing through. Once they’re established, most perennials and shrubs require almost no attention, just some water if it hasn’t rained in over a week in the summer. When your plants are happy they crowd out the weeds. I weed once a year at the end of winter and a little here and there during the year.

If you’re not sure what to plant, walk around your neighborhood and see what plants are thriving. If you see something growing well in a lot of gardens it will probably do well in yours too.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#88

Post by 01100011 »

WalterBright wrote: post #43

The best "lawn" I ever had was where I just let the local flora have its way. Best looking lawn in the neighborhood. I mowed it once a year. I keep trying it in Seattle, but the invasive blackberry bushes and scotch broom keep throttling the native stuff.

Lots of native yards need protection from invasives. Preemergent herbicides are a great help. Initial clearing with something like Roundup is also not always discouraged because it keeps the soil from being disturbed and resowing invasive seeds. Having problematic invasives is actually more reason to have a native yard where you can take responsibility for supporting native wildlife.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#89

Post by onion2k »

vosper wrote: post #74
onion2k wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saying we like lawns because our cave-dwelling ancestors saw them as good hunting ground is fine, but to extend that to saying that's a reason why we should have them is not. We can ignore that particular primal urge if giving up lawns is good for the environment. The same goes for every other "primal instinct" - we've evolved to the point where we can make a conscious decision about what we do regardless of what our…

> Saying we like lawns because our cave-dwelling ancestors saw them as good hunting ground is fine, but to extend that to saying that's a reason why we should have them is not. I don't see this claim in the comment you originally replied to. The poster gave a theory as to why people like lawns, they did not say that this means we should have them.

I don't either. That claim was made by AmericanChopper when he stated "I hope that somebody like yourself could confidently say you’ve never wasted your time on something frivolous like companionship or sexual needs." when we were talking about lawns. The "something frivolous" bit was sarcasm. He was effectively saying we need lawns in the same way we need sex - because our primitive cave brains tell us they're like the a perfect savannah. I was saying that even if that's true (which is a dubious claim) we can ignore that urge if we want to.

Re: Renowned Entomologist Says ‘Get Rid of Your Lawn’

#90

Post by lovich »

core-questions wrote: post #55
ravenstine wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's sad is dandelions are neither ugly nor bad for your lawn. They feed bees and the tap roots draw nutrients from deep in the soil, which also benefits the grass.

Dandelions are definitely ugly. The problem is that they're weeds: they will grow with abandon and fill up every single possible spot on your lawn, crowding each other out in their rabid attempts to get some delicious sun. Mow them down and you're just acting as an evolutionary selection filter for short, creeping dandelions instead. It only takes a month or two of mowing to end up with a totally different, fully ada…

Man,fuck that. Dandelions flower pretty much all year, which means I always have food for local pollinators and so my garden always has pollinators nearby ready to fertilize my crops. On top of that they are decent eating. I have zero use for normal lawn grass other than to help prevent erosion
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