Can you imagine if someone paid you to convert your lawn into a wildflower garden? It sounds like a dream, but maybe it’s not so farfetched… at least in Minnesota. The state recently allocated upward of a million dollars towards this initiative, which intends on beginning the reversal process of the destructive habitat loss that is vanquishing wildlife. By planting wildflower gardens, instead of maintaining lifeless lawns, bees, butterflies, birds, and other critters will once again have places to live, forage for food, breed, etc.
For decades, Americans have been conditioned to think that planting and maintaining lawns that look like golf courses is normal. But it’s not. It’s far from normal. This message, delivered to us in the form of TV commercials, has been spread from lawn care companies that have reaped the financial benefits. In the process, we have been brainwashed into believing that numerous indigenous plants are simply weeds, and must be eradicated. Mow, mow, mow!
In an article in Returntonow.net, part of the Minnesota plan is to get homeowners to stop spraying and pulling white clover, which is an essential food source for 55 of Minnesota’s 350 bee species.
As urban sprawl continues to push further and further outward, depleting valuable habitats for a wide range of pollinators, we must begin to rely on urban/suburban homeowners to take eco action to help save countless birds, bees, etc. By planting bee-friendly wildflowers, clover, and native grasses, we can begin to take positive action, while naturally beautifying our surroundings at the same time.
Lead image: Photo by Sandy Millar