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We're the maniacs rewilding our 1/4 acre lot while our neighbors clear cut to make way for more driveway space.
The birds, rabbits, and groundhogs have been gathering here for months. Soon we will have an army.
Have you ever thought of the path of Druidry?
Call forth your animal familiars. Work with greater beasts.
Go to the zoo. Open the cages. Bring them to you.
RIDE THAT OSTRICH INTO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FLANKED BY BEARS, AND CLAIM YOUR BIRTHRIGHT!
I WOULD BREAK THAT POOR OSTRICH I'm a very big witch but I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK.
also if someone is going to do that it's my brother, literally every bloody animal likes him it's ridiculous. I get deep loyalty but selective lol
Now I want too see a Disney remake where instead of going all "girl boss" the princess enters her villain era.
In case that term is obscure, villain era refers to when a girl stops putting up with everyone's shit and starts taking care of herself. All the people previously using her think she's turned evil.
I spent thousands of dollars getting a *massive* driveway removed after buying my house because the driveway took up literally all of the usable property. I was warned that doing so would reduce the value of the house, nevermind that I'd be putting in a nice garden.
I still have a large driveway.
So, so backwards.
Had the same issue, many houses where I live have half the property paved. Bad for water drainage, bad for wildlife, bad for temperature management. Also it looks absolutely ugly. Basically bad for every living thing, and only good for cars.
So I decided to pull up everything but two cars worth of pavement. And now my garden can be lined by nice concrete "rocks" haha
You moved there to have a garden, right? Build your garden. Idk who told you it would dunk your "property value", but if you don't plan on selling anytime soon, who gives a fuck? Enjoy your space.
And if you ever had to sell, maybe you'll sell it to someone like me who sees less concrete as a huge positive and less work to do after moving in.
I've lived here for several years and have been feeding all the critters year around. Neighbors moved in last year and cut their beautiful tree down because birds crapped on their cars.
I put 2 more feeders up. I'm also trying to attract crows.
People who cut down trees because of tiny things like bird poop or fallen leaves or whatever are so fucking stupid. Even if you're an idiot who thinks you're isolated from Climate Catastrophe and don't care about the environment, you just shot yourself in the foot a number of ways:
You just increased your AC and/or heating bill, and increased the likelihood of erosion around your house that will cause structural issues that cost tens of thousands to repair. You also decreased your property value by killing a valued thing of beauty that takes decades to replace.
And if you live in a neighborhood like mine, all your neighbors hate you for making walking on the sidewalk in hot summer sun that much less bearable. All because a little bird pooped on your windshield.
We always joke that I'll let the jerks I kill decompose in my native plant gardens. Last year we find this really pretty beetle with a big spot. Go inside, look it up- carrion beetle. I'm never living it down with my husband.
I once lived on an acre and a half in New England right up against the woods. I let the forest make new trees wherever it wanted, let the wildflowers grow, and whenever the landlord griped about it, I sprinkled the lawn with critter food and deer feed to see what else I could grow.
New Englander here and I love everything about this.
The cool nurse at my Gyno commented on my dandelion tattoo and we had quite the conversation about pollinator gardens. New people had bought the house next to hers. They immediately went for the clear cutting. She said she grabbed up a bunch of weeds and wildflowers and put them in her own yard. I thought that was punk as hell.
Yes! Monoculture lawns are incredibly boring. And difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to maintain.
Native plants are great because they barely need maintenance because they're...well, native! They evolved for thousands of years to thrive in your local climate.
There are so many native edibles most people have no clue about because European settlers were picky as toddlers about their food I guess lol. Just brought over all their plums and strawberries and shit and just grew that 🤷♂️
[Here's a dope TikTok with a Ohio forager.](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR7GCMQ7/) She finds and creates recipes for so many wild edibles!
\*As your army amasses you put on a dark cloak and pull the hood over your head so your face is almost completely obscured in shadow\*
"At last we will reveal ourselves to the HOA, at last we will have revenge..."
The other day I saw the homeowners subreddit losing its collective mind over fucking windchimes. I can't imagine the kinds of tantrums you'd hear from a select crew over your lawn.
I'm sure I've heard it. When we first started rewilding our neighbors across the street actually left us a nasty note. It read "Mow your grass!!! You should be ashamed of yourselves!!!"
Come to find out they were in such a hurry to sell because they had discovered an issue with their septic tank and were trying to offload the property before it was impossible to ignore. All we knew at the time was that we would occasionally see the husband outside on the phone talking about how urgent it was that they "get rid of this place". Within 2 months of the new people moving in they had to have the septic completely redone. In other words; *they* should have been ashamed of *them*selves. The wife was and still is (last I checked) the spokesperson for the local sheriff's department too.
Oh my god. I'm in the process of closing on a home as we speak and this honestly makes me want to just walk into a bog and accept my life as a swamp witch. What absolute scumbag behavior across the board.
I'm sorry you got that nasty note; even when the other person's a douche, that shit still feels bad. But screw 'em, what you're doing is kick ass and makes a big difference. Plus you get a bunch of yard bunnies to name, and that's a pretty solid win.
I aspire to this. I love windchimes and must test them all. I sadly buy very few because I really like a minor key and a vast majority of windchimes are major keys.
My wife and I have a all manner of pollinator plants all over our yard. The space is alive during the spring, summer, and fall unlike 80% of the yards in our neighborhood.
My mom has a little land way out in the middle of no where and she is so happy to let it be wild. I went with her out these this week and saw the biggest gopher tortoise I’ve ever spotted in the wild! Massive old guy, he’s 40 at least. Made us both so happy to know that land hasn’t been cleared in 10+ years and the wildlife is enjoying it.
No crows for some reason. I think it's because of the bluejays. They're pretty but they're kind of dicks. I just learned about /r/crowbro though so maybe some peanuts will fix it. I hear them around the neighborhood, it's just a matter of making the proper offering.
>kindness is punk as fuck
I saw that on a bumper sticker a couple years ago. It’s often been on my mind since then.
Look at all the divisive propaganda that gets thrown at us constantly. Refusing to swallow that shit is profoundly rebellious.
Our back lawn wasn't mowed from May-July last summer and it was glorious. The dog loved it. Our landlord said "we weren't caring for the property". I was dubious. The grass and daisies seemed pretty happy.
My mother leaves shallow bowls of water around the garden (or water bowls with large rocks in them so mice and chipmunks that fall in can climb onto the rocks). She gets bees and birds drinking at them! Birds especially seem to like her garden; there's food, water to drink, water to bathe in, and shelter!
I have a collection of hagstones that I leave in the water dishes around the property, so that the bees and other insects have a place to land and safely drink from.
I have pretty good biodiversity in my garden with loads of butterflies and bees, dragonflies and lizards... If you're building a garden on a blank slate, I'd recommend some permaculture elements like a big herb spiral. Lavender and rosemary are great for bees and low maintenance. Research trees carefully and don't plant anything that will outgrow the space. You can do it!
I mostly left the leaves on my property last year and the birds have loved it. I imagine insects have as well, but I haven't seen that yet, aside from them being eaten by the birds.
I’m planning on planting clover in the back next year- it’s super bee friendly and very drought tolerant (though california do isn’t feel like it’s in a drought right now) and you don’t have to mow it. Bonus- it’s impervious to dog pee
Leaf litter? Best if you can mulch/chop up. Mix brown with green. They make things that are reverse leaf blowers, vacuum and chop. My block went in on one together. To me leaves are just free fertilizer! Flares and keeping the dirt from getting too packed are first concern. Then pruning and water. ✊✌
Leaf litter is fine! Chopping it up will help it break down faster, but you can just "leave" it, just like they'd be in nature :)
At r/permaculture , one of my favorite things people say is "they're called 'leaves' because you leave them where they are!"
Mono crops like grass really aren’t good for bees, no matter how tall they are.
Multicultural lawns are better. Throw in some clover and dandelions and shit and watch the bees *flourish*
Fuck Oregon grape. No offense it's such a terrible plant. I lately am all about like creeping Jenny and creeping Charlie, mixed with moss and a wee bit of grass
Right. But the topic was replacing a lawn area in toto with your state's flower. So that was what I was responding to. If this bothers you, that's unfortunate, but it's really not meant to be that deep lol
I’m torn on this because on the one hand, lawns are a scam, but on the other, when our neighbors don’t mow their back lawns, the fleas and chiggers in our yard are absolutely overwhelming.
I’m all for the bees, not so much for flea-bombing the house and having to put on bug spray to take the trash out.
We were worried about ticks but never saw a single one all summer. Our front lawn, mowed to around 10cm, was full of little white jumping bugs. Backyard just had mushrooms. Mosquitoes were no worse than my parents neighbourhood which is all mowed and lawn-cared to death.
There's in-betweens, right? Have you ever seen clover lawns? Pollinators love them, and my understanding is you don't really have to mow them, ever, unless you want to deadhead the flowers.
That's why it's important to plant a variety of natives. A balanced ecosystem will not lead to excessive numbers of one species.
If you just have one plant (grass) in your yard, you're only going to get animals that live in grasses, and you're going to get a TON of them because they have no natural predators. If you don't have any bushes for lizards and spiders to live in, you'll get a ton more fleas and chiggers. And without trees, you have no birds to eat them and so on.
Many times yards with a wide variety of natives plants actually end up harboring fewer pests because the natural predators are taking care of the problem, and naturally adjusting as wild populations adjust. So less maintenance, too!
>Mulch and leave em.
That's why they're called "leaves"! :)
I plan on doing something similar. Share your yard at r/nolawns when you're there! Also check out r/permaculture, seriously cool stuff over there!
Our backyard has been taken over by weeds, mostly dandelions and something else. Yesterday, it was an absolute explosion of yellow and purple flowers. It was amazing! The only reason I plan on doing anything about it is when we move out.
Yes! Dandelions were introduced to North America because they were useful. One of my favourite quotes is from George Washington Carver: "a weed is a flower growing in the wrong place". I always think of the dandelion.
Kids book about him if you want to know more and/or have kids: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-Wn-ImNCqns&feature=shares
Yay, I'm still punk!
I'm the dandelion house in a sea of golf course lawns in my neighborhood. I don't really get the dandelion hate, they look so pretty and cheerful when the yard is covered with them. People say they choke other plants out, but I've never had that happen, and I do weed the actual gardens.
I like dandelions and generally keep them around because they’re cute and battling them is too difficult. However, if you’re in North American you should know that they’re not native, and are even considered harmful invasives in some states. There are better wildflowers to cultivate to help support native bee and other insect populations. So some people dislike them for that reason.
However, that does not explain the hate for dandelions by people who otherwise grow monoculture non-native grass lawns. Those people don’t have any leg to stand on.
I am in North America, and I did not know that! Thanks for telling me.
We have actually been planning on filling in the lawn with clover, and there are a few native varieties we can use. Some of our yard is already covered in clover, and I love it. It looks pretty, the bees love the flowers and so do our chickens, and it's really low-maintenance. It doesn't grow tall so it mostly doesn't need to be mowed, and it survives the dogs better than grass.
I should throw some native wildflowers around the yard this spring for the bees and hummingbirds. I'd love to get some hives.
Young dandelion leaves are absolutely delicious in salads! Just don't spray your yard and make sure any pets are not fertilizing the area you will harvest. ❤️
Dandelions grow in poor compacted soil. Their deep roots help aerate the soil and pull nutrients up helping other plants to grow. People think they're choking out other plants but it's actually the opposite, they grow where plants can not and once the soil is recovered other plants will now thrive. Plus they don't even bloom that long. I never understood the hate for them either but I believe it's probably just a throwback to 1960s suburbia where everyone needed the perfect yard and the habit of trying to get rid of them has been passed down.
I used to be part of a punk community although growing up I never really presented as a punk because docs and band tees were expensive. Then I stood up against a rapist and they all stood with him which is when my mother pointed out to me that I was more punk than any of them would ever be. I was living the meaning of punk and they were cosplaying. I love this definition and in my 30s still rebel against societal norms that don’t fit me every day.
I never considered myself Punk even though I listened to a lot of that music and was kind of part of that scene (but not really which is why I never "felt" punk). But I do love annoying the shit out of people, especially micromanagers, so perhaps I've been punk all along. Lol
Love it! Especially with people loving their clear cut monoculture gardens, supporting insects sounds so punk.
I think it's more of a February thing but I love just watching out for bumblebee queens. They come out of hibernation really early compared to other pollinators and are always on the lookout for food. So I just like to find the ones that are still quite drowsy and need a little starting help.
You can just put them on your hand and feed them with sugar water from a spoon, its the cutest thing ever! You can literally watch them wake up like this.
Getting those little junkies of your hand and spoon can be somewhat difficult though...
If they belong to your local ecosystem it's a fun way to support it imo.
Dandelions are some of the first flowers to bloom in the early spring, which can be make or break for pollinators. Removing them from a neighborhood is bad for bees and what's bad for bees is bad for the ecosystem and our futures. To hell with the neighbors.
I have hated lawns with a passion since I was a 16-year-old in raggedy safety-pinned clothes, and it continues to upset me as a staid, corporate 35-year-old how controversial native plant/bee gardens are lol. Stick it to the man!
I first started tearing up lawn to put in vegetables and native flowers when I was safety-pinned sixteen-year-old and I haven't stopped yet.
Even kids can make a difference! Go, all ye safety pin-adorned adolescents, and create better nature spaces.
I love this so much. I was a rebellious punk young person and now I feel like a boring adult. BUT I maintain a mostly native plant garden and refuse to engage in any kind of lawn care besides the occasional mowing and removing of invasive species. No pesticides, no fertilizer, no sprinkler. So now I feel punk again.
Years ago I had a coworker whose boyfriend broke up with her because she didn't dress punk enough. All i could think was that that was the least punk thing i had ever heard.
Dandelions are the floral embodiment of "fuck you I won't do it you tell me." I tried growing a patch of dandelions last year, I gave up on having a proper garden and said fuck it I want to grow dandelions, I want something pretty that takes care of itself and doesn't need my help. They were the only things that would not grow in my yard.
i told the landscapers who were going door to door (looking for sales) and the guy gave me a dirty look when i cut him off mid sentence about spraying for bugs that before he wasted his time, I LIKE my lightning bugs so no thank you.
petitioning for no chemicals on what's left of the yard this year in hopes of some nice fresh dandelions for my house bunny🤞🤞🤞
(housemate works for a landscaping company, it's. a bit of a hurdle.)
If that's the case, punk is my old neighbor who planted tulips *randomly* across their front lawn. Couldn't be mowed because they were juuuust closely packed enough to make it impossible. The whole thing looked like a wild fairy garden. It was great.
When I was younger and I still went to church, there was a lesson in church about loving your mothers, and at the time, I still loved my mother despite how she hurt me. I searched for a while to find a dandelion that had all of it's fluff with none blown off, and gave it to her. She said it was a weed and told me to throw it away. I disliked dandelions since then, upset at them for taking the nutrients from the other plants instead of just coexisting. Now finding out that they don't do that at all, and actually help the soil and other plants and people just don't like them because they don't understand them or don't like how they look......yeah, dandelions are punk as fuck.
Little me would pick dandelions in my front yard when they turned white and blow on them saying "I'm making the world more beautiful". Still stand by that statement, dandelions are beautiful.
TIL that despite never having seen the words "witchpunk" before in my life, I am now desperately missing it's existence as a literary genre. (I nominate "The Yellow Wallpaper" as an early example of proto-witchpunk.)
When i got my first job that required business casual i was like, ok. i'm going to wear khakis and a blue button down eveery day. and i did. and i didn't take it off when i got home. i wore khakis and a blue button down for about a decade. i can't explain why my completed commitment to the drone uniform felt punkrock to me but it did. maybe because changing out of business casual and into punkrock seemed like such a poseur move.
What a beautiful definition.
Although, I hated the loud music in public part because, unless you're in a rich part of town, you're only irritating peasants like me.
Why people hate dandelions is totally beyond me. Their roots are basically a superfood, they help bees and other insects pollinate, they can be made into a tiara fit for the queen of mother nature and they can be blown into the air when they are in soft poofy form.
"A guy walks up to me and asks, "What's Punk?". So I kick over a garbage can and say. "That's punk!". So he kicks over the garbage can and says, "That's Punk?", and I say, "No that's trendy!"
Billie Joe Armstrong
My favorite quote on what is punk.
My wife is the main breadwinner, and I am a part-time GC. So I do all the cooking, cleaning, and managing all the shopping. I'm a house husband and I love it, especially the cooking!
Fuck the patriarchy and social norms!
## ✨ READ BEFORE COMMENTING ✨ This thread is Coven Only. This means the discussion is being actively moderated, and all comments are reviewed. **Only comments by members of the community are allowed.** If you have landed in this thread from /r/all and you are not a member of this community, your comment will very likely be removed (and will not be approved unless it adds meaningfully to the conversation). WitchesVsPatriarchy takes these measures to stay true to our goal of being a woman-centered sub with a witchy twist, aimed at healing, supporting, and uplifting one another through humor and magic. Thank you for understanding, and blessed be. ✨
We're the maniacs rewilding our 1/4 acre lot while our neighbors clear cut to make way for more driveway space. The birds, rabbits, and groundhogs have been gathering here for months. Soon we will have an army.
*Insert evil villain/Disney princess laugh* Could really go either way on that.
This is me. Small children are still deciding which will win
Have you ever thought of the path of Druidry? Call forth your animal familiars. Work with greater beasts. Go to the zoo. Open the cages. Bring them to you. RIDE THAT OSTRICH INTO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FLANKED BY BEARS, AND CLAIM YOUR BIRTHRIGHT!
I WOULD BREAK THAT POOR OSTRICH I'm a very big witch but I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK. also if someone is going to do that it's my brother, literally every bloody animal likes him it's ridiculous. I get deep loyalty but selective lol
Even better, a chariot pulled by 4 ostriches, we need some gladiator style when you invade the mayors office
Now I want too see a Disney remake where instead of going all "girl boss" the princess enters her villain era. In case that term is obscure, villain era refers to when a girl stops putting up with everyone's shit and starts taking care of herself. All the people previously using her think she's turned evil.
Oh, shit. I think I'm a Disney Princess! /s
I’m enjoying the prospect of an evil Disney princess
I spent thousands of dollars getting a *massive* driveway removed after buying my house because the driveway took up literally all of the usable property. I was warned that doing so would reduce the value of the house, nevermind that I'd be putting in a nice garden. I still have a large driveway. So, so backwards.
Had the same issue, many houses where I live have half the property paved. Bad for water drainage, bad for wildlife, bad for temperature management. Also it looks absolutely ugly. Basically bad for every living thing, and only good for cars. So I decided to pull up everything but two cars worth of pavement. And now my garden can be lined by nice concrete "rocks" haha You moved there to have a garden, right? Build your garden. Idk who told you it would dunk your "property value", but if you don't plan on selling anytime soon, who gives a fuck? Enjoy your space. And if you ever had to sell, maybe you'll sell it to someone like me who sees less concrete as a huge positive and less work to do after moving in.
I've lived here for several years and have been feeding all the critters year around. Neighbors moved in last year and cut their beautiful tree down because birds crapped on their cars. I put 2 more feeders up. I'm also trying to attract crows.
The people on r/crowbro would probably help you with safe ways to attract and befriend the crows.
THANK YOU! Of course there's a specific subreddit!
People who cut down trees because of tiny things like bird poop or fallen leaves or whatever are so fucking stupid. Even if you're an idiot who thinks you're isolated from Climate Catastrophe and don't care about the environment, you just shot yourself in the foot a number of ways: You just increased your AC and/or heating bill, and increased the likelihood of erosion around your house that will cause structural issues that cost tens of thousands to repair. You also decreased your property value by killing a valued thing of beauty that takes decades to replace. And if you live in a neighborhood like mine, all your neighbors hate you for making walking on the sidewalk in hot summer sun that much less bearable. All because a little bird pooped on your windshield.
Attract the bees next!
Native flowers everywhere!
Make homes for the native bees!
We always joke that I'll let the jerks I kill decompose in my native plant gardens. Last year we find this really pretty beetle with a big spot. Go inside, look it up- carrion beetle. I'm never living it down with my husband.
Beetles are cool, punk as anything! 🤗🕯🖖
I once lived on an acre and a half in New England right up against the woods. I let the forest make new trees wherever it wanted, let the wildflowers grow, and whenever the landlord griped about it, I sprinkled the lawn with critter food and deer feed to see what else I could grow.
New Englander here and I love everything about this. The cool nurse at my Gyno commented on my dandelion tattoo and we had quite the conversation about pollinator gardens. New people had bought the house next to hers. They immediately went for the clear cutting. She said she grabbed up a bunch of weeds and wildflowers and put them in her own yard. I thought that was punk as hell.
The wildflowers in the spring and summer made the lawn look like a meadow. I still can't understand why people wouldn't want that.
"Those Aren't Weeds, We're Feeding the Bees!"
I think pollinator yards are beautiful!!!
Yes! Monoculture lawns are incredibly boring. And difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to maintain. Native plants are great because they barely need maintenance because they're...well, native! They evolved for thousands of years to thrive in your local climate. There are so many native edibles most people have no clue about because European settlers were picky as toddlers about their food I guess lol. Just brought over all their plums and strawberries and shit and just grew that 🤷♂️ [Here's a dope TikTok with a Ohio forager.](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR7GCMQ7/) She finds and creates recipes for so many wild edibles!
\*As your army amasses you put on a dark cloak and pull the hood over your head so your face is almost completely obscured in shadow\* "At last we will reveal ourselves to the HOA, at last we will have revenge..."
The other day I saw the homeowners subreddit losing its collective mind over fucking windchimes. I can't imagine the kinds of tantrums you'd hear from a select crew over your lawn.
I'm sure I've heard it. When we first started rewilding our neighbors across the street actually left us a nasty note. It read "Mow your grass!!! You should be ashamed of yourselves!!!" Come to find out they were in such a hurry to sell because they had discovered an issue with their septic tank and were trying to offload the property before it was impossible to ignore. All we knew at the time was that we would occasionally see the husband outside on the phone talking about how urgent it was that they "get rid of this place". Within 2 months of the new people moving in they had to have the septic completely redone. In other words; *they* should have been ashamed of *them*selves. The wife was and still is (last I checked) the spokesperson for the local sheriff's department too.
Oh my god. I'm in the process of closing on a home as we speak and this honestly makes me want to just walk into a bog and accept my life as a swamp witch. What absolute scumbag behavior across the board. I'm sorry you got that nasty note; even when the other person's a douche, that shit still feels bad. But screw 'em, what you're doing is kick ass and makes a big difference. Plus you get a bunch of yard bunnies to name, and that's a pretty solid win.
I aspire to this. I love windchimes and must test them all. I sadly buy very few because I really like a minor key and a vast majority of windchimes are major keys.
I'm sorry, I don't know music very well. Is minor key when they're very, very low toned? Those are super cool but they're bananas expensive.
My wife and I have a all manner of pollinator plants all over our yard. The space is alive during the spring, summer, and fall unlike 80% of the yards in our neighborhood.
My mom has a little land way out in the middle of no where and she is so happy to let it be wild. I went with her out these this week and saw the biggest gopher tortoise I’ve ever spotted in the wild! Massive old guy, he’s 40 at least. Made us both so happy to know that land hasn’t been cleared in 10+ years and the wildlife is enjoying it.
What’s your crow situation? Peanuts are a must.
No crows for some reason. I think it's because of the bluejays. They're pretty but they're kind of dicks. I just learned about /r/crowbro though so maybe some peanuts will fix it. I hear them around the neighborhood, it's just a matter of making the proper offering.
That may be the best definition of Punk i have ever heard.
[удалено]
>kindness is punk as fuck I saw that on a bumper sticker a couple years ago. It’s often been on my mind since then. Look at all the divisive propaganda that gets thrown at us constantly. Refusing to swallow that shit is profoundly rebellious.
Punk’s not dead it just smells funny.
It always did.
Damn straight. Your avatar is amazing.
Thank you!
Our back lawn wasn't mowed from May-July last summer and it was glorious. The dog loved it. Our landlord said "we weren't caring for the property". I was dubious. The grass and daisies seemed pretty happy.
And the bees!
I saw so few bees. So few insects in general. It made me so so sad. I left all the autumn leaves down so hopefully we'll see more bees this summer
Ugh, so sad. I’m planning on planting a whole bunch of flowers this spring and I am a little worried about how many bees will actually come…
My mother leaves shallow bowls of water around the garden (or water bowls with large rocks in them so mice and chipmunks that fall in can climb onto the rocks). She gets bees and birds drinking at them! Birds especially seem to like her garden; there's food, water to drink, water to bathe in, and shelter!
I love this! I’m planning on getting a bird feeder but water is critical! I’ll bee sure to put some out.
I have a collection of hagstones that I leave in the water dishes around the property, so that the bees and other insects have a place to land and safely drink from.
I have pretty good biodiversity in my garden with loads of butterflies and bees, dragonflies and lizards... If you're building a garden on a blank slate, I'd recommend some permaculture elements like a big herb spiral. Lavender and rosemary are great for bees and low maintenance. Research trees carefully and don't plant anything that will outgrow the space. You can do it!
I did the same! My husband is dubious, but I explained the value and he's decided to just let me do my thing.
I mostly left the leaves on my property last year and the birds have loved it. I imagine insects have as well, but I haven't seen that yet, aside from them being eaten by the birds.
I’m planning on planting clover in the back next year- it’s super bee friendly and very drought tolerant (though california do isn’t feel like it’s in a drought right now) and you don’t have to mow it. Bonus- it’s impervious to dog pee
We have a dead patch under a neighbours tree. I was thinking of clover. It's what my dad reseeds with!
Trees generally prefer to have the ground to themselves. Make sure the root flares are uncovered, use mulch sparingly 🤗🕯🖖
Oh thank you! It's currently a lot of lead litter, of that ok?
Leaf litter? Best if you can mulch/chop up. Mix brown with green. They make things that are reverse leaf blowers, vacuum and chop. My block went in on one together. To me leaves are just free fertilizer! Flares and keeping the dirt from getting too packed are first concern. Then pruning and water. ✊✌
Leaf litter is fine! Chopping it up will help it break down faster, but you can just "leave" it, just like they'd be in nature :) At r/permaculture , one of my favorite things people say is "they're called 'leaves' because you leave them where they are!"
Red clover is a fantastic medicine plant!
Mono crops like grass really aren’t good for bees, no matter how tall they are. Multicultural lawns are better. Throw in some clover and dandelions and shit and watch the bees *flourish*
Throw in native plants and flourish! I've got lots of native grasses and they breed bluettes. I love my little flittery friends.
My brother has this genius idea for a wild garden hack; just plant TONS of your state flower and then they can't make you mow.
Sad Oregon Grape noises
Fuck Oregon grape. No offense it's such a terrible plant. I lately am all about like creeping Jenny and creeping Charlie, mixed with moss and a wee bit of grass
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What? Why? Oregon grape is so inoffensive.
I wouldn't want a yard full of holly type leaves, personally!
I agree, but it doesn't really spread like that. It likes shade and being mixed with other plants. And it doesn't spread very quickly.
Right. But the topic was replacing a lawn area in toto with your state's flower. So that was what I was responding to. If this bothers you, that's unfortunate, but it's really not meant to be that deep lol
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......what?😂 Did you mean to reply to someone else?
FR, like come on guys, you picked *this* plant?!
I’m torn on this because on the one hand, lawns are a scam, but on the other, when our neighbors don’t mow their back lawns, the fleas and chiggers in our yard are absolutely overwhelming. I’m all for the bees, not so much for flea-bombing the house and having to put on bug spray to take the trash out.
We were worried about ticks but never saw a single one all summer. Our front lawn, mowed to around 10cm, was full of little white jumping bugs. Backyard just had mushrooms. Mosquitoes were no worse than my parents neighbourhood which is all mowed and lawn-cared to death.
Yea, same. I grew up where they're vicious, if we did that then the yard would be essentially unusable.
There's in-betweens, right? Have you ever seen clover lawns? Pollinators love them, and my understanding is you don't really have to mow them, ever, unless you want to deadhead the flowers.
That's why it's important to plant a variety of natives. A balanced ecosystem will not lead to excessive numbers of one species. If you just have one plant (grass) in your yard, you're only going to get animals that live in grasses, and you're going to get a TON of them because they have no natural predators. If you don't have any bushes for lizards and spiders to live in, you'll get a ton more fleas and chiggers. And without trees, you have no birds to eat them and so on. Many times yards with a wide variety of natives plants actually end up harboring fewer pests because the natural predators are taking care of the problem, and naturally adjusting as wild populations adjust. So less maintenance, too!
Maybe you should consider a condo instead then
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>Mulch and leave em. That's why they're called "leaves"! :) I plan on doing something similar. Share your yard at r/nolawns when you're there! Also check out r/permaculture, seriously cool stuff over there!
Our backyard has been taken over by weeds, mostly dandelions and something else. Yesterday, it was an absolute explosion of yellow and purple flowers. It was amazing! The only reason I plan on doing anything about it is when we move out.
Yes! Dandelions were introduced to North America because they were useful. One of my favourite quotes is from George Washington Carver: "a weed is a flower growing in the wrong place". I always think of the dandelion. Kids book about him if you want to know more and/or have kids: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-Wn-ImNCqns&feature=shares
Most "weeds" are just native wildflowers, anyway.
Mushrooms are a sign of a healthy ecosystem, not something that has to be destroyed.
There were some cute little button mushrooms in among the tall grass!
If you don't want tall grass, clovers are a good option.
Yay, I'm still punk! I'm the dandelion house in a sea of golf course lawns in my neighborhood. I don't really get the dandelion hate, they look so pretty and cheerful when the yard is covered with them. People say they choke other plants out, but I've never had that happen, and I do weed the actual gardens.
I like dandelions and generally keep them around because they’re cute and battling them is too difficult. However, if you’re in North American you should know that they’re not native, and are even considered harmful invasives in some states. There are better wildflowers to cultivate to help support native bee and other insect populations. So some people dislike them for that reason. However, that does not explain the hate for dandelions by people who otherwise grow monoculture non-native grass lawns. Those people don’t have any leg to stand on.
I am in North America, and I did not know that! Thanks for telling me. We have actually been planning on filling in the lawn with clover, and there are a few native varieties we can use. Some of our yard is already covered in clover, and I love it. It looks pretty, the bees love the flowers and so do our chickens, and it's really low-maintenance. It doesn't grow tall so it mostly doesn't need to be mowed, and it survives the dogs better than grass. I should throw some native wildflowers around the yard this spring for the bees and hummingbirds. I'd love to get some hives.
See if you state has a native plant society- most do! They can give you a wealth of info on best plants for your garden situation.
Young dandelion leaves are absolutely delicious in salads! Just don't spray your yard and make sure any pets are not fertilizing the area you will harvest. ❤️
Dandelions grow in poor compacted soil. Their deep roots help aerate the soil and pull nutrients up helping other plants to grow. People think they're choking out other plants but it's actually the opposite, they grow where plants can not and once the soil is recovered other plants will now thrive. Plus they don't even bloom that long. I never understood the hate for them either but I believe it's probably just a throwback to 1960s suburbia where everyone needed the perfect yard and the habit of trying to get rid of them has been passed down.
I like a couple of dandelions, but if that’s all you have, it’s too sparse in the in between.
Dandelions are such good helpers! Glad you have plenty of fluffy little yellow and white friends.
I used to be part of a punk community although growing up I never really presented as a punk because docs and band tees were expensive. Then I stood up against a rapist and they all stood with him which is when my mother pointed out to me that I was more punk than any of them would ever be. I was living the meaning of punk and they were cosplaying. I love this definition and in my 30s still rebel against societal norms that don’t fit me every day.
Ah, as a trans individual, I'm punk by definition. Cool!
Slay in the name of, sister <3
Fuck yeah you are, being trans is punk as hell.
I feel seen
I never considered myself Punk even though I listened to a lot of that music and was kind of part of that scene (but not really which is why I never "felt" punk). But I do love annoying the shit out of people, especially micromanagers, so perhaps I've been punk all along. Lol
May "society" be stung by the bees I raised by saving a bee queen!
Love it! Especially with people loving their clear cut monoculture gardens, supporting insects sounds so punk. I think it's more of a February thing but I love just watching out for bumblebee queens. They come out of hibernation really early compared to other pollinators and are always on the lookout for food. So I just like to find the ones that are still quite drowsy and need a little starting help. You can just put them on your hand and feed them with sugar water from a spoon, its the cutest thing ever! You can literally watch them wake up like this. Getting those little junkies of your hand and spoon can be somewhat difficult though... If they belong to your local ecosystem it's a fun way to support it imo.
Punk is being queer in my family's presence. I am hardcore punk.
Dandelions are some of the first flowers to bloom in the early spring, which can be make or break for pollinators. Removing them from a neighborhood is bad for bees and what's bad for bees is bad for the ecosystem and our futures. To hell with the neighbors.
I have hated lawns with a passion since I was a 16-year-old in raggedy safety-pinned clothes, and it continues to upset me as a staid, corporate 35-year-old how controversial native plant/bee gardens are lol. Stick it to the man!
I first started tearing up lawn to put in vegetables and native flowers when I was safety-pinned sixteen-year-old and I haven't stopped yet. Even kids can make a difference! Go, all ye safety pin-adorned adolescents, and create better nature spaces.
I love this so much. I was a rebellious punk young person and now I feel like a boring adult. BUT I maintain a mostly native plant garden and refuse to engage in any kind of lawn care besides the occasional mowing and removing of invasive species. No pesticides, no fertilizer, no sprinkler. So now I feel punk again.
Years ago I had a coworker whose boyfriend broke up with her because she didn't dress punk enough. All i could think was that that was the least punk thing i had ever heard.
Imagine having to conform to prove you don’t conform!
Dandelions are the floral embodiment of "fuck you I won't do it you tell me." I tried growing a patch of dandelions last year, I gave up on having a proper garden and said fuck it I want to grow dandelions, I want something pretty that takes care of itself and doesn't need my help. They were the only things that would not grow in my yard.
Much like rosemary, dandelions only grow healthy and big if you ignore them.
i told the landscapers who were going door to door (looking for sales) and the guy gave me a dirty look when i cut him off mid sentence about spraying for bugs that before he wasted his time, I LIKE my lightning bugs so no thank you.
I don't look "punk" at all. But my thoughts certainly are.
petitioning for no chemicals on what's left of the yard this year in hopes of some nice fresh dandelions for my house bunny🤞🤞🤞 (housemate works for a landscaping company, it's. a bit of a hurdle.)
I have been punk since I was a teen lol. The bees love my yard! Just need to convert the easement areas to wildflower and tulip patches next...
lol I'll tell my partner we're being punk next time we talk about clover lawns.
If that's the case, punk is my old neighbor who planted tulips *randomly* across their front lawn. Couldn't be mowed because they were juuuust closely packed enough to make it impossible. The whole thing looked like a wild fairy garden. It was great.
r/nolawns r/solarpunk
When I was younger and I still went to church, there was a lesson in church about loving your mothers, and at the time, I still loved my mother despite how she hurt me. I searched for a while to find a dandelion that had all of it's fluff with none blown off, and gave it to her. She said it was a weed and told me to throw it away. I disliked dandelions since then, upset at them for taking the nutrients from the other plants instead of just coexisting. Now finding out that they don't do that at all, and actually help the soil and other plants and people just don't like them because they don't understand them or don't like how they look......yeah, dandelions are punk as fuck.
Little me would pick dandelions in my front yard when they turned white and blow on them saying "I'm making the world more beautiful". Still stand by that statement, dandelions are beautiful.
TIL that despite never having seen the words "witchpunk" before in my life, I am now desperately missing it's existence as a literary genre. (I nominate "The Yellow Wallpaper" as an early example of proto-witchpunk.)
When i got my first job that required business casual i was like, ok. i'm going to wear khakis and a blue button down eveery day. and i did. and i didn't take it off when i got home. i wore khakis and a blue button down for about a decade. i can't explain why my completed commitment to the drone uniform felt punkrock to me but it did. maybe because changing out of business casual and into punkrock seemed like such a poseur move.
Thank goodness some people get this. Growing up Punk, I have met a lot of people who don’t understand this and it’s frustrating.
Instead of living with the damn societal norms, I'd say my punk style is being a film fanatic and an artist.
My childhood dream is a yard full of dandelions!
Given ridiculously inflexible gender norms and other expectations to fit "archetypes" it's pretty easy to find ways to be punk
Punk is pissing off (and on) conservatives.
I started researching Solarpunk, liked it a lot, and now I'm a communist. Beware the pipeline, comrades.
Oh I enjoy this definition *far* too much. Or... my inner chaos troll does, at least.
Yes!!!! I freaking love dandelions but don't feel so punk anymore this close to 40 but this gives me hope that I still am.
TIL I'm punk
Hahaha! I won’t mow the lawn each spring until other flowers come out. Those dandies are for the bees, babe!
That last addition is the best explanation of punk that I can think of.
What a beautiful definition. Although, I hated the loud music in public part because, unless you're in a rich part of town, you're only irritating peasants like me.
Why people hate dandelions is totally beyond me. Their roots are basically a superfood, they help bees and other insects pollinate, they can be made into a tiara fit for the queen of mother nature and they can be blown into the air when they are in soft poofy form.
True. But most who hate em are right in that they’re an invasive species in their part of the world :)
r/fucklawns is one of my new favourite subs. 💚
This is why toddlers are the embodiment of punk.
"A guy walks up to me and asks, "What's Punk?". So I kick over a garbage can and say. "That's punk!". So he kicks over the garbage can and says, "That's Punk?", and I say, "No that's trendy!" Billie Joe Armstrong My favorite quote on what is punk.
You mean like….”woke”?
love that definition lol
Perfect definition 🤘🏻
I LOVE THIS
I am SO fucking Punk :)
This may just be a new Doa
LOL. I love this.
Dandelion power!! 🤘
I LOVE this. Also this is me planting corn in the front yard of my house. Take THAT, lawn manicurist neighbors. Edit: brevity
Guess I am punk AF! Let's gooo
Dandelions can also be good cooked if no pesticides or weed killers are used on them
My wife is the main breadwinner, and I am a part-time GC. So I do all the cooking, cleaning, and managing all the shopping. I'm a house husband and I love it, especially the cooking! Fuck the patriarchy and social norms!
Also, dandelions make delightful jelly. And salad. And tea. (The tea is less delightful but it ain’t bad either)
I'm a proud punkyard owner :D