They’re back, and they’re happy with my mess of a lawn.
I don’t think my lawn will ever look like a golf course, there was an above ground pool at one point so one area is packed densely and full of gravel sized rocks.
We threw down some clover, there’s wild strawberry, one spot has mint (I’ve been told trying to remove it is a sisyphusian task). It’s cozy now, and I guess the fireflies like cozy, and I like watching them from my patio.
Mowing isn’t the issue; Raking leaves is. Fireflies lay eggs in the fall, on dead leaves. Since suburban HOAs require leaves to be raked and trashed, it removes the fireflies’ breeding grounds. If you don’t like leaves on your lawn, just fucking mulch them with your lawn mower instead of raking them. A perfectly raked yard is an ecological wasteland.
I think a lot more people use weed killers and other pesticides in their yards than previously as well, since they’re more commercially available. We even have “summer weed maintenance subscriptions” in my city for this (yeah, I know, ugh). I finally stopped using that stuff on my yard and I have a lot more critters in it than my neighbours.
Yeah, fireflies lay eggs on dead leaves. The ultra-clean suburban yards are killing firefly populations, because people keep raking up the fireflies breeding material and throwing it away in plastic trash bags. A perfectly kept lawn is an ecological wasteland, and suburban trends have expanded that wasteland for miles at a time. It’s no wonder fireflies have struggled to survive.
Want to see fireflies? Stop raking your lawn. If you don’t like the way the leaves look, mulch them with a lawn mower early in the season, so they can blend in with the grass. But don’t just fucking rake them up and throw them away.
While it’s better than keeping a barren monoculture lawn, keep in mind that letting things grow with no intervention will get you a lot of invasive species. If you want healthier habitat for your critters try to keep an eye on what’s growing and replace the bad stuff with native options.
I have a big flat yard i don’t use and I hate boring grass. I want part of it to just grow. Would you recommend dig up the current grass and throw some native seeds out, or just let the grass and plants grow themselves and weed anything bad out (like creeping jenny)
Depends on if you have a healthy wild source that can seed itself in. My woodline is almost entirely invasives so it took more legwork to balance it out. I ended up mostly planting small trees/shrubs to shade out the weeds and letting Virginia Creeper spread (love that stuff).
Barring that it probably depends on yard size and local climate. Might be more economical to clear with a sod cutter or spot weed + replace.
Check for local native plant orgs, they can get you plants in bulk. They might also have specific advice, for example if you need to avoid seeding certain plants to protect a vulnerable local species.
Bald eagles have made a resounding comeback after nearly being hunted to extinction around the '30s and '40s. If you live anywhere near the Mississippi you’ll probably see tons of them.
I once nearly hit one with my car. Coming around a blind corner there was a giant ass bald eagle in the middle of my lane. Seriously it took up the entire driving lane and was about as a big as a small car with it’s wings partially out while it chowed on some prey
They were everywhere when I was a kid. I haven’t seen one in years.
They were so delightful, and I miss them.
I stopped mowing super regularly and my yard is full of em
Let the weeds grow, let the forest in. I’m in the Smokies fwiw
Same
They’re back, and they’re happy with my mess of a lawn.
I don’t think my lawn will ever look like a golf course, there was an above ground pool at one point so one area is packed densely and full of gravel sized rocks.
We threw down some clover, there’s wild strawberry, one spot has mint (I’ve been told trying to remove it is a sisyphusian task). It’s cozy now, and I guess the fireflies like cozy, and I like watching them from my patio.
This is fantastic and good advice, but I also remember them in great numbers 20+ years ago, and people were mowing their lawns then, too.
Mowing isn’t the issue; Raking leaves is. Fireflies lay eggs in the fall, on dead leaves. Since suburban HOAs require leaves to be raked and trashed, it removes the fireflies’ breeding grounds. If you don’t like leaves on your lawn, just fucking mulch them with your lawn mower instead of raking them. A perfectly raked yard is an ecological wasteland.
I think a lot more people use weed killers and other pesticides in their yards than previously as well, since they’re more commercially available. We even have “summer weed maintenance subscriptions” in my city for this (yeah, I know, ugh). I finally stopped using that stuff on my yard and I have a lot more critters in it than my neighbours.
Just the other day my son was chasing the fireflies in our front yard.
…That front yard I was feeling bad about not mowing because the weeds mixed in with the grass quickly grow tall flowers above the head.
I think I want to keep helping those blinky-bois.
Yeah, fireflies lay eggs on dead leaves. The ultra-clean suburban yards are killing firefly populations, because people keep raking up the fireflies breeding material and throwing it away in plastic trash bags. A perfectly kept lawn is an ecological wasteland, and suburban trends have expanded that wasteland for miles at a time. It’s no wonder fireflies have struggled to survive.
Want to see fireflies? Stop raking your lawn. If you don’t like the way the leaves look, mulch them with a lawn mower early in the season, so they can blend in with the grass. But don’t just fucking rake them up and throw them away.
While it’s better than keeping a barren monoculture lawn, keep in mind that letting things grow with no intervention will get you a lot of invasive species. If you want healthier habitat for your critters try to keep an eye on what’s growing and replace the bad stuff with native options.
I have a big flat yard i don’t use and I hate boring grass. I want part of it to just grow. Would you recommend dig up the current grass and throw some native seeds out, or just let the grass and plants grow themselves and weed anything bad out (like creeping jenny)
Depends on if you have a healthy wild source that can seed itself in. My woodline is almost entirely invasives so it took more legwork to balance it out. I ended up mostly planting small trees/shrubs to shade out the weeds and letting Virginia Creeper spread (love that stuff).
Barring that it probably depends on yard size and local climate. Might be more economical to clear with a sod cutter or spot weed + replace.
Check for local native plant orgs, they can get you plants in bulk. They might also have specific advice, for example if you need to avoid seeding certain plants to protect a vulnerable local species.
I’ve seen two this year.
I’ve seen More bald eagles land in the yard year than I have seen lightning bugs.
Bald eagles have made a resounding comeback after nearly being hunted to extinction around the '30s and '40s. If you live anywhere near the Mississippi you’ll probably see tons of them.
I once nearly hit one with my car. Coming around a blind corner there was a giant ass bald eagle in the middle of my lane. Seriously it took up the entire driving lane and was about as a big as a small car with it’s wings partially out while it chowed on some prey