I tried to go this route with my small backyard. Unfortunately invasive vines (creeping Charlie and English ivy) got entrenched in very short order and outcompeted almost everything else. Pulling up the vines left nearly bare earth that eroded very quickly. If I ever get the money and the time, I’m going to have to add soil and seed and tend to it properly. For the time being, I left most of last season’s leaves (mostly oak) and put down netting is some of the worst areas to try and keep the wind from stripping it bare(er). I’m hoping this leads to better water retention and soil conditions, and not just hiding spots for more vines. 😕
If possible, spread some local seed packs for pollinators on the bare dirt. Should be able to find some for your region/state. Better than letting the regular weeds take over.
That’s the problem, nothing has taken over. It’s just bare cracked clay because the soil is gone. My target for seeding is white clover, which technically isn’t local but it’s been around so long it might as well be. I can’t let things grow too long unless I want to check for ticks every time I go outside. Clover seems to be a nice compromise. I’ve long ago given up the fight against dandelions, much to the neighbors’ chagrin.
The yard is unfortunately pretty far down the priority list, which is annoying because it’s probably one of the more satisfying projects once it’s stabilized. But lack of funds and spoons dictates the effort must go elsewhere.
Remember when you were little how many fucking moths there were? Couldn’t keep the porch light on at night or they’d get in the house and you’d be finding moth carcasses all summer.
Now there’s just a few. Hardly see any anymore.
Same for house flies, and bees. I used to have to go and spray for wasps every spring, I don’t remember the last one I saw.
Yes and yes (to the person you replied to). All I’m saying is that that narrative seems to be coalescing around “it’s because people raked leaves.” Does that play a part? Probably. But there’s no way it’s just that. It’s far too pervasive to be “personal actions.” The root cause has to be systemic.
It’s also humans continually expanding and building in previously undeveloped areas. It crowds out other species.
30 years ago it didnt matter if you raked your leaves because there were still plenty of areas for lightning bugs to migrate in from. But when everyone’s surrounded by miles of suburbs the lightning bugs have further to go for you to see them
Agreed. But as someone who grew up with the Crying Indian, I am very wary of this kind of oversimplification. It was always, “make sure to cut the rings from the six pack of cans so the turtles don’t get stuck,” and not, “stop manufacturing death traps,” or, Primus forbid, “stop treating the ocean and waterways in general like free waste disposal.” It’s still being actively astroturfed to this day (see also plastic straws). Case in point: a few years ago there was an “accidental chemical waste discharge” into a tributary of a major regional river that is used as a water source for much of the area. This was posted about in a lightly trafficked regional subreddit where a “hot” post might accumulate a few dozen upvotes over the course of a day and a handful of comments. This one reached over a hundred comments within hours.
It’s only x gallons, the river moves y gallons every minute. Nobody would have noticed until the media made a big deal."
The same stuff is used in cosmetics and people put it on their face every day. It’s harmless.
And so on.
Messaging is important. The corporate class understands this. Hence trying to shift blame for every single systemic issue onto individuals. Plastic straws. You don’t have the right to swim in clean water. Plastic bags. Fuel efficiency. Overnight delivery. Vote with your wallet. Overproduction. Recycling. And now raking leaves.
Want all that in a single panel? Zoom out from the raked lawn and show the silhouette of a factory belching smoke into the air and vomiting waste into a river in the background.
Saw this just the other day here…
The less I maintain my yard the more lightning bugs we get.
We do not maintain our back yard very well. I refuse to let these amazing insects disappear. We also seed for pollinators as well.
I tried to go this route with my small backyard. Unfortunately invasive vines (creeping Charlie and English ivy) got entrenched in very short order and outcompeted almost everything else. Pulling up the vines left nearly bare earth that eroded very quickly. If I ever get the money and the time, I’m going to have to add soil and seed and tend to it properly. For the time being, I left most of last season’s leaves (mostly oak) and put down netting is some of the worst areas to try and keep the wind from stripping it bare(er). I’m hoping this leads to better water retention and soil conditions, and not just hiding spots for more vines. 😕
If possible, spread some local seed packs for pollinators on the bare dirt. Should be able to find some for your region/state. Better than letting the regular weeds take over.
That’s the problem, nothing has taken over. It’s just bare cracked clay because the soil is gone. My target for seeding is white clover, which technically isn’t local but it’s been around so long it might as well be. I can’t let things grow too long unless I want to check for ticks every time I go outside. Clover seems to be a nice compromise. I’ve long ago given up the fight against dandelions, much to the neighbors’ chagrin.
The yard is unfortunately pretty far down the priority list, which is annoying because it’s probably one of the more satisfying projects once it’s stabilized. But lack of funds and spoons dictates the effort must go elsewhere.
I saw that the other day too. It’s just that 35 years ago, everyone still raked their lawns. Same as 35 years before that.
We are in the middle of an insect apocalypse.
Remember when you were little how many fucking moths there were? Couldn’t keep the porch light on at night or they’d get in the house and you’d be finding moth carcasses all summer.
Now there’s just a few. Hardly see any anymore.
Same for house flies, and bees. I used to have to go and spray for wasps every spring, I don’t remember the last one I saw.
i tell this to people all the time and they do not believe me
Grasshoppers too. I used to fill buckets with them as a kid. I haven’t seen more than a few in the last decade.
Remember when you needed a bug shield to drive on the highway?
Yes and yes (to the person you replied to). All I’m saying is that that narrative seems to be coalescing around “it’s because people raked leaves.” Does that play a part? Probably. But there’s no way it’s just that. It’s far too pervasive to be “personal actions.” The root cause has to be systemic.
It’s also humans continually expanding and building in previously undeveloped areas. It crowds out other species.
30 years ago it didnt matter if you raked your leaves because there were still plenty of areas for lightning bugs to migrate in from. But when everyone’s surrounded by miles of suburbs the lightning bugs have further to go for you to see them
It’s not just the leaves, it’s humans fucking with the environment, on a macro and micro scale. But that’s harder to convey in a single panel
Agreed. But as someone who grew up with the Crying Indian, I am very wary of this kind of oversimplification. It was always, “make sure to cut the rings from the six pack of cans so the turtles don’t get stuck,” and not, “stop manufacturing death traps,” or, Primus forbid, “stop treating the ocean and waterways in general like free waste disposal.” It’s still being actively astroturfed to this day (see also plastic straws). Case in point: a few years ago there was an “accidental chemical waste discharge” into a tributary of a major regional river that is used as a water source for much of the area. This was posted about in a lightly trafficked regional subreddit where a “hot” post might accumulate a few dozen upvotes over the course of a day and a handful of comments. This one reached over a hundred comments within hours.
And so on.
Messaging is important. The corporate class understands this. Hence trying to shift blame for every single systemic issue onto individuals. Plastic straws. You don’t have the right to swim in clean water. Plastic bags. Fuel efficiency. Overnight delivery. Vote with your wallet. Overproduction. Recycling. And now raking leaves.
Want all that in a single panel? Zoom out from the raked lawn and show the silhouette of a factory belching smoke into the air and vomiting waste into a river in the background.
People have been raking leaves the whole time, so that’s definitely not why.