#lawns — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #lawns, aggregated by home.social.
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A new California law will ban watering decorative grass, even in non-drought years, starting Jan. 1 https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/09/04/a-new-california-law-will-ban-watering-decorative-grass-even-in-non-drought-years-starting-jan-1/ #lawns #Drought #CAWater
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It's firefly time in Bellingen
* "In the early evening, flashing lights can often be seen cruising around in the forest. These are the little lanterns on the underside of the abdomen of a carnivorous beetle of the family lampyridae. These beetles have been misnamed fireflies. It is believed that the flashing light is used by males and females to attract each other." >>
https://www.wettropics.gov.au/fireflies* Tidy gardens and landscape maintenance equipment unleash a blitzkrieg on the little fairies of the soil. The ubiquitous lawn mowers "mowing the grass" like a military strategy, so no soil micro-diversity shall survive. Line trimmers, debris blowers, chainsaws, bobcats, bulldozers and a dash of chemicals complete the terraforming.
* Fireflies under threat from habitat loss, pesticides and light pollution
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/04/fireflies-under-threat-habitat-loss-pesticides-light-pollutionImage: Fireflies, Franz von Stuck, detail,1898 (Children/ fauns in awe, amazed about the wonder of energy efficiency in nature.)
#BioluminescentInsects #fireflies #soil #light #EnergyEfficiency #insects #beetles #LightPollution #pesticides #machinery #gardens #lawns #fairies #forests #destruction #Bellingen #nature #environment
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Soil degradation - the stuff of life that is called 'dirt'
"Soil is a vital resource for life on Earth."* The Ig Nobel Prizes: "Franz Bender, Marcel van der Heijden, Atlant Bieri, and Pia Viviani, for burying 1,000 identical pairs of underpants in more than 25 countries and then digging them up after two months."
"The results: Land use was the most important factor. Underpants decomposed the fastest in private gardens, where soil analysis also revealed the highest levels of organic matter. Lawns showed the least activity of soil organisms, with agricultural fields and meadows ranging in the middle. Temperature and moisture levels also affected organism activity, particularly if conditions were too cold or too dry, as did soil nutrient levels. Overall, the authors found that their “underpants index” provided equally meaningful information about soil conditions as the TBI, including chemical and physical properties, elevation, and moisture." >>
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/09/meet-the-2026-ig-nobel-prize-winners/* "Soil is a vital resource for plant growth. It hosts a major part of global species diversity and is key for ecosystem functioning and it forms the basis of human civilization. Yet soils are rapidly degrading, threatening food production, biodiversity, and Earth system functioning. This threat is largely unrecognized in broader society, hindering effective steps towards soil protection."
"Soil is a vital resource for life on Earth. Although many soils are degraded, societal awareness of soil-related issues is limited."
"Farmers, responsible for the management of vast areas of land, often receive little education in basic soil principles. The lack of relationship between the public and soil leads to wasteful treatment of global soil resources. Increased awareness and targeted action towards the protection of soils are urgently needed." >>
https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70259
#biodiversity #degradation #soil #life #dirt #lawns #SoilHealth #farmers #ImperviousSurfaces
Image: Lawn and impervious surfaces NSW -
A Pagan Case Against Lawns: Rethinking the Tyranny of Turf
What if your lawn isn’t just grass—but a quieting of the land itself? This Pagan reflection explores how modern yards prioritize control over connection, and how even small changes can restore a living relationship with the world just outside your door. -
In Australia the holiday season is the season to use petrol gardening equipment all day, every day. Pythons, lizards, frogs and insects are simply shredded and mulched alive.
Robotic lawn mowers and fossil fuel gardening tools are shredding wildlife
"Scientists analyzed 370 documented cases of hedgehogs being injured (cut) by electric gardening tools in Germany. Almost half of the hedgehogs found ... did not survive the injuries. The data reveal a serious animal welfare and conservation issue for these specially protected animals, as most hedgehogs were only found hours or even days after the accidents." >>
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240123122229.htm#biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #lawns #gardens #GardeningTools #robots #LawnMowing #machines #harm #gardening #WhipperSnipper #LeafBlowers #mowers #FossilFuel #RoboticMowers #GardeningEquipment #PlasticNetting
Image: Bracca matutinata (Southern Bracca), Bellingen, NSW
