It’s almost that time of year. The air will be filled for hours with the enchanting buzz of neighbor lawn mowers. It’s so tempting to get outside to tidy up the yard with a haircut.

Still, what are we ignoring by setting off our house, apartment or condo with a carpet of short green grass? Biodiversity for one thing. Along with our use of plants cultivated for eye appeal, our swaths of one plant, a mix of turf grasses with the fertilizer and watering to keep it green, provides nothing for insect pollinators essential for our vital food web.

Consider seeing different parts of your outdoor space like your indoor

space: in front a tidy entranceway, another area for meals, a level area for games and relaxing and an area of flowering “weeds” for insect pollinators.

By sharing your lawn, pesticide-free, you will be part of a growing movement to preserve food, clean water and medicines we depend on.

Jill Vickers

Bridport