Rewilding

 

The above photo is one I took of some wildflowers in my back yard (or as my British friends would say, garden) this past summer. I was just looking at an illustrated article on Vox about rewilding as a strategy for mitigating climate change. Although I am skeptical about individual actions amounting to all that much when it comes reducing our carbon footprint (much of what really needs to be done has to happen at a much more systemic level rather than an individual level), I do see some benefit to doing what we can realistically do. In my case, I've had the same home for a bit over a decade now. I inherited a lawn that looked like the lawns of several of my wealthier and now deceased neighbors. The grass was immaculate when it came to weeds, and no doubt some money was sunk into whatever chemicals were needed to keep the lawn looking like something out of a magazine. As a practical matter, I really did not have the money, so aside from keeping the grass mowed, there was not much I could do to keep out the weeds. Then over time I came to see the weeds for what they were - often native species that produced wildflowers like the ones in my photo. I started noticing butterflies and bees visiting any of those patches in the back yard. Over the years, I've allowed these species of grasses and flowering plants to thrive. One of my daughters works at a greenhouse and has been helping me more deliberately plant species that if not native to the area are at least noninvasive, with the idea that we would have flowerbeds that would be inviting to more bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Hopefully that at least helps out the local ecosystem a little. I enjoy the color during the growing season and the pollinators get a lot out of the deal as well. The one rule I do follow is to keep the lawn regularly mowed - though that owes more to a city ordinance that is strictly enforced. Other than that, let's rewild what we can. It seems to help a little. That's better than nothing.