One Midwest homeowner is showing how beneficial (and beautiful) it can be to rewild a lawn.
The homeowner, who shared before-and-after photos on Reddit, indicates that their lawn's transformation was the result of adding more than 120 species of plants, 99% of which are native or "very-nearly-native" to their region.
Adding more native species to a lawn has numerous ecological benefits. The process of re-wilding, or introducing a diverse array of species to a space, boosts the resilience of an area to climate-related changes.
Since these plants are adapted to the climate, they may not require the same watering schedule as conventional grasses. Not only does this save homeowners time and effort, but it can also reduce outdoor water use — which is especially valuable in arid regions.
In addition to requiring less maintenance, rewilded lawns and gardens can attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. Since these species play an integral role in maintaining the food system, allowing them to have space to safely eat and rest is the least we can do.
Although this homeowner did a complete overhaul of their lawn, rewilding can be done on many scales, including adding pollinator-friendly potted plants to a porch or a few garden beds to the backyard. This flexibility allows homeowners to adopt rewilding practices whether their lawn is 200 square feet or 2,000.
The lawn was transformed from a boring, cookie-cutter suburban house to one with plants of different sizes, colors, and shapes. Not only does the lawn have ecological benefits, but it is dynamic to look at — especially in a neighborhood where all the lawns may look the same.
Reddit users applauded the homeowner's efforts.
One user wrote, "Such a massive improvement! Well done!"
Another shared, "[The new design is] way more homey/cozy, like a finished house with a soul. Before it just looked like a new generic house that never got lived in, like a one ingredient meal, this is so much more layered."
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