Article by From Tim Corner
Each spring, no doubt to the annoyance of my neighbours, I always look forward to seeing the sun reflecting from the Dandelions that burst out of the tatty lawn in my back garden. For me it is a true sign of spring and of the optimism of the coming summer. With this bright array come many insects who somehow manage to make it through the rigours of the winter and scramble about in the furry yellow of the flower rays.
Even more annoying for my neighbours is that I then look forward to seeing the delicate seed heads of the Dandelions and encourage their flight into the fairy clocks of my youth. I then relive my youth as I rush about, desperately trying to whoosh the seed heads away from my neighbour's fence.
And, even more annoying for my neighbours, is that I am fascinated by the various shapes and sizes of the leaves and how they contribute to the tattiness of my lawn. Having rosette forming basal leaves they shade out other plants and in turn encourage bits of bare soil underneath them, where woodlice, millipedes and various other mini-beasts gather.
As the autumn and winter approaches my lawn ends up having tall scruffy bits, and flattened scruffy bits, of varying hues of brown and yellow. To me this means that there are a variety of plants contributing to a variety of small habitats, that support a variety of invertebrates, that feed the many birds, hedgehog, frogs, newts and Slow-worms that my neighbours love to see.
Maybe you prefer to keep your lawn tidier, but consider, before you cut everything back:
How many Small Tortoiseshell butterflies are likely to be depending upon at least some of the patch of Stinging Nettle remaining?