it really feels so strange looking at like plain fields of grass or those grass strips along/between roads knowing that it was made to be that way.
like this is not a grassland area. most of it is either former forest land that got clear cut for House and Citrus Plant or former sandhill habitat depending on specific place, but neither of those are meant to be just plain empty fields of short grass
it’s just. sad, knowing what it could be. I grew up five minutes from a nature preserve and it honestly spoiled me with how much you could see in the first 20 minutes (raspberry! yellow-shouldered blackbird! gopher tortoise! lizard’s tail!) compared to 90% of what you see in developed areas over years
and then you have people who think that their lawn is the pinnacle of landscaping bc it’s Just Grass doused in 3 gallons of poison and free of pesky bugs like ants and bees or “weeds” that ruin their Nice Suburban Aesthetic complaining that it’s just ~so hard~ to maintain their pitiful withering st. augustine lawn that dies when it’s a day ending in y.
it infuriates me but it also makes me so sad. you don’t know. you just don’t know what you’re missing out on. I highly encourage looking up tapestry lawns and xeriscaping bc native plant gardens are just so pretty and you will not believe how many species you’ve never seen before will become regulars in your backyard.
contact native plant groups (many will send you seeds!) research the biome you live in. find out what plants support local wildlife. and remember, your HOA can’t do anything if you plant endangered species and declare your lawn/backyard a preserve ;)
