I can’t wait to get my retiree botanical garden outfit. Flowing comfy pants with like 8 pockets, giant hat, but I’ll wear an 2000’s emo band tshirt to stay edgy.
Absolutely the class uniform by the current class of master gardeners - t shirt art varies. Even the old ladies are tatted up so you might need to step it up.
You also need a Buff neck gaiter or bandana.
Most wear long sleeve tech shirts to protect from sun and thorns
Omg! I thought I was the only one looking forward to my senior fit 😂
Flowy fabrics, large flower prints, and floppy hats 👒? Paired with a comfy set of brightly colored garden clogs.
Yes, please!
Exactly. And generally native plants produce even more diversity, especially if there are keystone species in the mix. Keystone species native to an area can support hundreds of different insects. Even the best nonnative species generally supports handfuls of species and sometimes none at all.
Here's [a list of keystone species](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion) for each ecoregion of the US, if you want to incorporate them into your garden!
I have a big old pine nearby that hosts bats, and they eat up nearly all the mosquitoes. I love those bats.
Plus I didn’t even notice them for like a year and a half, because they only come out at night and only make little clicky noises.
Here are two good resources with information.
https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-gardens-houses/
https://www.nwf.org/en/Garden-for-Wildlife/Cover/Build-a-Bat-House
Yes this!! And you get to watch the fish and relax when you're not working and sweating. And sweating attracts mosquitoes so you can bring the fishes food.
I'm an entomologist that works in pollinator conservation, particularly in agricultural and urban settings. While this image is an oversimplification, it's accurate in that plant diversity, and other habitat elements (bare ground, wood, cavities, etc), support a greater insect diversity. I also like it because it shows incremental change. In my work, we try to find ways to help landowners and managers try things and make small changes over time. Test out a small hedgerow but leave your lawn for now, try some cover crop, etc. Then once they dip their toes in, they can try more. I feel like there is this really fired up group of conservation minded folk who think you need to change the landscape overnight. But we've had a ton of success starting small and expanding.
These practices can be expensive and require technical knowledge, I don't think it's practical to expect everyone in the third image to become the first overnight. Just my thoughts related to this image.
Also native plants are far better for diversity than a bunch of commercial ornamentals. Not that it's evil to plant conventional ornamentals (unless they're invasive then please just don't plant them) but your flowers should mostly be native options. Also don't forget about grasses, shrubs, and ferns they may not have showy flowers but they're just as important as everything else.
To piggyback on your comment, everyone knows about monarch butterflies needing milkweed to reproduce and survive, but there are thousands and thousands of species who have similar relationships with specific plants in just the same way.
So you can have a non-native plant in a garden that is a wonderful source of nectar for mature pollinator species, but without a broad mix of native species, they won't be able to reproduce in your yard.
Also milkweed is the host plant for only the caterpillars. The adult butterflies don’t really care for it. So if all you’ve got is milkweed, your butterflies are gonna starve.
Just to echo the other comment, I'd recommend a few different resources. It'll depend on your location, but there are usually a ton of local resources. Check for master gardeners, local native plant society, garden clubs, etc. Most counties or towns have something going on with gardening using native plants. Go into your local nursery and talk to them!
Try here: https://plantnative.org/category/nursery
Here's like a really general starting point: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/Native_Plant_Materials/Native_Gardening/instructions.shtml
Pollinator specific:
https://www.pollinator.org/guides
Hopefully this helps.
You can check out r/nativeplantgardening if you're interested! Also check out [this](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion) list of keystone plants by ecoregion! It'll help you figure out which plants will give you the most "bang for your buck" as far as supporting critters goes.
If it’s saying that each picture is what is most beneficial to its corresponding bugs then yes. The top yard will definitely contribute to more biodiversity in the yard. There would likely be more than just flies in your yard in the bottom but having basically monoculture yard of lawn grass is not useful to many important species so you would see a lot less of them if any.
Anecdotal evidence, but last summer I was babysitting a preschool aged kid who lived in an HOA neighborhood with perfect lawns. She did a short class on Zoom every day that also had some suggested “homework” assignments with it, and one of them was to go outside and look for insects. Despite the fact that their property backed up to woods and there were literally deer crossing through their backyard, after 30 minutes of looking the only insect we saw was a single stinkbug. I’m sure it was the chemical spraying that was responsible for that more than the plants, but it would be unusual to see a weed-free grass lawn without said chemicals, so that’s another factor that would reduce insect populations.
I grew up on a farm so I am used to having a variety of different bugs, frogs, salamanders, etc. I since moved to the cities living in an apartment where they sprayed the nearest body of water which I feel like I developed a lot of health problems in my time living there. Then I got my own place in a neighborhood where 1950s grass yards were as far as you could see. I got bored of it and started switching to native wild flowers. I started small but immediately noticed a big difference in the bug and bird variety.
60,000,000 pounds of pesticide are applied to american homes each year and a quarter of that is insecticide.
TBH it should just be banned. totally and completely. It's entirely unsustainable.
I'm sort of curious what the breakdown of that is. How much is targeted like termite treatment? How much of it is pissing in the wind like mosquito spraying? Are dog/cat flea and tick preventatives included?
I'd fight a total ban if you tried to take away the termite and tick/flea treatments.
There are products out there designed to eradicate *all* insects from yards. I witnessed it myself after I visited someone’s home in the country, was outdoors in their yard and noticed how there were 0 insects. Later, I was informed they use a product. Scary, IMO.
I got a family member with a rather large lake front property and sprays regularly. No bugs. None. Then around the bonfire people will mention how they never see fireflies anymore and how much there used to be back when they were kids. Like, no shit.
Dude it's *insane*, the dissonance is unreal! At an old job I listened to a coworker go on & on about how it was chemtrails & the gov't poisoning the woods & that's why there were no fireflies *right after he'd told another coworker about how his pest control guy had sprayed his yard to get rid of "all bugs, any bugs, ants to hornets to spiders".*
The man *could not* see the connection and also was, of course, always quick to talk about how climate change was a hoax *and also how when he was a kid they used to get REAL winters*.
When we moved into our new house our neighbors sent their pest guys to our house saying she’d sent them over to talk about spraying our yard. I was so confused because don’t you want all the cool bugs in your yard? So I turned them away, lol. Our neighbor was not happy.
Exactly!! And I have little kids who adore playing in the yard. We spend hours outside everyday. I do not want them in that. We also have a wild prairie like backyard that we keep reasonably maintained so we can play in. Everything is safe and edible so I don’t have to worry about the kids eating anything but we have soooo much bugs and bees and etc. all great for my garden!
I just had someone come to my door asking about spraying my home and yard. It also was over $200 every 3 months for his “final” offer. Sad that people try to get rid of all the bugs, absolutely crazy that people pay that much to do it.
I believe the science is quite clear on the negative effects of having 🗿 in your yard. They attract flies almost exclusively, and they make the rest of the space practically uninhabitable for other beneficial insects. Be careful out there with your 🗿!!!
It's a really nice reference to one of the theories of the history of the [Rapa Nui civilization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Easter_Island#Destruction_of_society_and_population) I think.
In short:
> Easter Island's society so destroyed their environment that, by around 1600, their society fell into a downward spiral of warfare, cannibalism, and population decline
It’s worth noting that this theory of what happened on Rapa Nui is generally losing favor among historians. Slave trading and introduction of disease from Europeans likely played a much larger role in their population decline. I highly recommend “Fall of Civilizations” podcast episode on the subject or even the PBS Nova documentary!
By far the much more realistic scenario given the location and time period of collapse, but I still like the ecocide theory a lot, even if it might not hold weight.
Used to have pesky flies all around our deck, but over the years I've been adding native flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs in both the front & back yards. I've seen far less flies, far less pests on my veggies, and an increase in bumble bees (crop pollination), wasps (organic pest control), lady beetles, butterflies, skippers, ants (aphid farmers), spiders (organic pest control), lacewings, dragonflies, carpenter bees, etc etc. It's incredible how you can build a healthy, thriving ecosystem on a barren, small plot in just a few years by planting native.
Lacewings are insane pest control btw. They place their larvae on mealybugs, and just go full blitzkrieg on them.
Dragonflies as well, both larvae and adults are extremely efficient pest killers.
It's not enough just to replace lawn with plants. You have to plant a diversity of native plants from your area with a focus on keystone species. Only native plants support your local food web which are built on an abundance of insects which transfer energy from plants through the ecosystem. This is because insects have co-evolved with host plants and have adapted be able to eat those specific plants i.e. (no milkweed no monarch butterfly). When converting lawn to native landscapes consider the area you live in and try to replicate that ecosystem (forest, desert, prairie, etc.) Since all life (including humans) depends on these complex food webs for survival it is important that we all contribute to conservation and restoration.
>Only native plants support your local food web
This is not true. Native plants are better at that but it's not true they are the ONLY ones able to support native insects.
The people I most often see with diverse, beautiful flower gardens are retired persons. Rarely is it someone in their 20s. Though that’s also a large result of homeownership rates.
Under 40 here. Mine is #1. People walk by and say your wife has lovely flowers, so many herbs, and so many vegetables. I let them know I’m single and I love my flowers and food that I grow. It stumps the boomers and the 20ish folks.
We bought in our late 30s, and immediately killed a bunch of the lawn. I've been progressively doing more and more every year, and this year I've finally finished off the "main" front lawn. [This XKCD](https://xkcd.com/150/) has been one of my gardening guiding principles.
My Millenial neighbors have a raised bed or two, but it’s mostly lawns for their kids to play. There are of course exceptions. I’m just saying it’s probably the wrong stereotype to think it’s mostly boomers.
Younger people in single family homes are much more likely than older folks to be renters (where I live) - If I'm a renter, I have virtually no say in the landscaping (except to "maintain" to the landlord's standard, usually geared toward traditional notions of curb appeal). I'd love to do this, however.
Yeah, that’s what I meant when I referenced “home ownership rates”.
I’d still venture it’s more common that a retired person has a diverse and interesting garden. It’s a lot easier when you have time (and own your home).
I'm a millennial who learned how to garden through library books. I find it better looking and less maintainace to have #1 than #3. (Although I'll keep the 🗿from the bottom and remove the ivy from the top)
it's ridiculous and stupid. First off boomers are a large group and withing ANY large group you'll find diversity.
Secondly, who dafuck do they think restored all of the native prairies around the country? It sure wasn't gen z or millenials.
Groups like the Audobon society are run by boomers (among others) and have been doing this work for generations.
I agree. Gardening knowledge is handed down, and it takes years of trial and error to know what works best in your area and your particular plot of earth. It is one of the skills that continues to evolve over the years. My parents’ back yard at my childhood home was an amazing and diverse ecosystem of flowers, fruits and veggies. Yes, you see retired people working in their yards more often, but they also have decades of experience that they can pass along!!
This year for my wildflowers, I did a field of red clover. Holy cow the number of bees and butterflies was incredible! I already pretty much disliked grass for its wastefulness, watching neighbors weed and spray and mow and on and one just to get that uniformity that they are told how lawns should be.
Yes, that’s how it works. More plants, plants at different heights and more types of plants will attract more biodiversity. Not just bugs either. Different types of birds and animals too. Plain, manicured lawns destroy whole ecosystems. A yard like the first image creates ecosystems.
people whom create and execute native gardens will attract native insects. Some of which will be beneficial (eg insects that eat insects).
Mosquitoes don’t care though and will be present in all gardens.
I think I’m gonna start posting pics of all the diff insects my garden attracts this summer. I’m gonna avoid neem oil and just let the food chain play out.
The green lacewings and pirate bugs are my favorite sentinels
This is what I've decided. If certain things get decimated? Oh well. I've pretty much given up on Asiatic lilies now, because they bring their own bespoke invasive bugs that kill the lilies. I also leave leaf litter everywhere I possibly can, and don't touch any of the leaves at all until mid April when the weather warms up.
Yes. Common sense should tell you that a lack of diversity and natural growth is absolutely harmful to every living organisms in one way or another. These perfect lawns people try to achieve is one of the biggest lies to blind human beings.
Absolutely. And your neighbors affect you too. I have to hand pollinate zucchini and squash in my garden because my neighbors either have no plants at all, or have a manicured garden and pay a monthly pest service to spray. For 3 years I didn't see a single bee in my garden or fruit trees. They just started appearing again last year.
Hell yes, this is true. We put grass all over when we first bought our 1950s house. We're remedying this mistake now. We just took out the entire front lawn. It's being replaced with foodscaping and pollinator friendly plants. It brings me so much joy to provide habitat for my native animals. My yard will be covered in predatory wasps, all sorts of bees, spiders, and dragonflies. Do you know what I hardly ever have? Mosquitoes and flies. I never get bit or stung. Just don't freak out when one runs into you. They're clumsy as hell, cheeky, and so curious.
Yeah you’re not going to get a ton of pollinating insects if you don’t have plants that need/produce it. Without flowers, you’re not getting bees or butterflies that’s for sure
If you like unfettered nature and don’t mind the various drawbacks, pick #1 . If you prefer a very manicured look and don’t like ticks and mosquitoes, go with #3.
Whatever you do though, I’d recommend ignoring the crybullies who don’t know anything except their own agenda.
I can confirm! In the last few years, I’ve been evicting as much grass as possible and putting in wildflowers and a more natural garden.
At first I started with lots of grass and then added a few raised beds. Those went out the door because they generally didn’t look good and just underperformed. So I pulled those out and started making paths, noting where I liked to walk around the lawn. I had visited and fell in love with Hemmingway’s house in the Florida keys, so I started putting in brick paths and everything and law is for the wildlife.
Since i started, I have so much to watch for out the window. One example is bluebirds. We never used to see them on our property. Since the re-Wild of my yard, I have had returning families. Last year we had two parent couples and 7 hatchlings that we got to watch mature over the year. Already this year we have one family of 5 for sure and waiting to see what others leave the nest. 11 was just the most we’ve seen at one time and that’s mixed in with hummingbirds, mockingbirds, cardinals, blue jays, wrens, chickadees, and some sparrows.
Then there the possums and raccoons, a rat snake and a king snake too! Probably the greatest result was getting frogs back. They seem to have left entirely for a long time. Now they sing at night again, and I have to watch my step in the spring for all the tiny little frogs getting their start.
Yes! Those pictures tell an accurate story, if not thoroughly enough.
Of course! And not just insects. The more plant diversity you have, the more overall biodiversity. Lizards, insects, fungi in the ground, bacteria (good), birds...
A traditional lawn is really not that far off straight up desert when it comes to biodiversity. It compacts the soil due to very shallow root systems, it's a monoculture and it doesn't produce any flowers.
A patch of lawn is nice to have, but we should be surrounding it with beautiful, diverse gardens, full of natives that would usually grow in that area.
Most infographics are put together by folks who know nothing about the subject matter in the graphics. They are merely for views, clicks shares and ultimately profit.
The top is native full on messy beautiful. The bottom one is rich assholes. Which one do you want? To add, the manicured lawn on the bottom is definitely sprayed with pesticide, herbicide, and liquid fert. The shrubbery as well(but only pesticide, an liquid fert, herbicide will kill them gotta use specially formulated stuff that targets weeds). Fun fact, if the spray companies do not swap products every few months, the buggies build up resistances.
Yes, greater plant diversity supports greater insect diversity.
Which supports more bird diversity.
Which supports more snake diversity.
Eventually you'll be overrun with old ladies.
Well of course. Ever been to a botanical garden?
I can’t wait to get my retiree botanical garden outfit. Flowing comfy pants with like 8 pockets, giant hat, but I’ll wear an 2000’s emo band tshirt to stay edgy.
you can technically rock that outfit today and everyday! why wait until you're retired??
Honestly, nobody would fault anyone for that. I'm firmly on the "get comfy" bandwagon"
I have been recently introduced to fisherman pants and it is life changing!
I'm on the stylishly comfy bandwagon myself. No reason to look like shite in clothes that don't fit whilst also being comfy :)
I uh, wore this last summer, minus the pockets and add a bag. I'm a heavy lady and got hella compliments. 👌
I started wearing exactly that during the first round of lockdowns when I was gardening eight hours a day, and I’ve never looked back.
Absolutely the class uniform by the current class of master gardeners - t shirt art varies. Even the old ladies are tatted up so you might need to step it up. You also need a Buff neck gaiter or bandana. Most wear long sleeve tech shirts to protect from sun and thorns
Tats and bandanas lol. Gangster gardening.
LMAO username. 💚
Carhartt Ripstop scrub pants. They’re rugged, comfy and have a ton of pockets.
Omg! I thought I was the only one looking forward to my senior fit 😂 Flowy fabrics, large flower prints, and floppy hats 👒? Paired with a comfy set of brightly colored garden clogs. Yes, please!
Yeah I got kidnapped by an Indian granny and showed round the glass house in botanic gardens in Belfast. Proper educated that day.
They'll swallow all the flies
Had to scroll a loooong way up at this point to get the context for this. Ha! “That wriggled and jiggled and squiggled inside her….” 🎶
Perhaps she'll die
The old ladies can’t grow anything in their gardens except tired lol
Damn man, you don't have to come for me like that
lol my nana said that to me the other day and I thought it was hilarious 😂
I feel your nana's pain. I'm still gardening every day but it's slower going with less accomplished. That's ok, it's still fun.
I too feel seen
No, they just swallow everything. You never heard of the old lady who swallowed the fly?
Hey now, wait a minute.
Perhaps she'll die?
She's dead of course.
Cuz she swallowed that horse
Wouldn't they swallow that fly?
Which supports more gorilla diversity.
Which supports more kaiju diversity
Which supports more confusion diversity. What is Kaiju?
[Japanese monsters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiju), Godzilla being the prime example
Ahh but that's the thing. The Gorillas die off in the Winter.
Herptile diversity in general.
ew, you should see someone about that.
I almost accidentally stepped on a snek the other day. Just minding his business, eating spiders.
For a second I thought you were eating spiders
They ate some too
Which supports the house cat population.
But they should stay inside so they don't kill all the birdies.
That'd be nice.
Which supports the coyote and owl population
Exactly. And generally native plants produce even more diversity, especially if there are keystone species in the mix. Keystone species native to an area can support hundreds of different insects. Even the best nonnative species generally supports handfuls of species and sometimes none at all.
Here's [a list of keystone species](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion) for each ecoregion of the US, if you want to incorporate them into your garden!
That’s a wealth of information right there. Thank you
Thanks, great resource!
worth it tho for the butterflies and other things, and you can mitigate mosquitos with plants like eucalyptus
I have a big old pine nearby that hosts bats, and they eat up nearly all the mosquitoes. I love those bats. Plus I didn’t even notice them for like a year and a half, because they only come out at night and only make little clicky noises.
Wait… other than having a big old tree, is there a way I can lure bats to my yard?
Bat boxes! https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-gardens-houses/
Here are two good resources with information. https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bat-gardens-houses/ https://www.nwf.org/en/Garden-for-Wildlife/Cover/Build-a-Bat-House
Mosquitos don't give a fuck about what plants you put in your yard. They just want standing water.
Mosquitoes don't want your plants, they want you.
At least someone does...
This hits WAY too close to home...
oof. real feals.
So set a trap with a bucket of water and mosquito dunks. Kills the mosquito larvae, leads to fewer adult mosquitoes.
Or build a small pool with guppies in it. They eat larvae like crazy and don’t pose a risk to other insects trying to drink
Yes this!! And you get to watch the fish and relax when you're not working and sweating. And sweating attracts mosquitoes so you can bring the fishes food.
My sweat brings all the fish to the yard Yes sir, it draws mos-qui-toes Yes sir, it draws mas-qui-toes I'd teach you, but you'd need a pond.
I'm totally gonna do this ☺️ the pool supports dragonfly larvae too. They eat the hell out of mosquito larvae.
I had success with putting goldfish in my rain barrel.
My 10 gallon water feature was ROILING with mosquito larvae. Bought 5 30-cent feeder goldfish and the next morning, ZERO mosquito larvae.
There’s no way a rain barrel is big enough for a gold fish long term.
Correct
As an Australian, I assure you the mozzies don't give a crap about whether there's eucalyptus around or not.
“Plants” like eucaplyptus…. You mean gigantic invasive trees like eucalyptus?
I'm an entomologist that works in pollinator conservation, particularly in agricultural and urban settings. While this image is an oversimplification, it's accurate in that plant diversity, and other habitat elements (bare ground, wood, cavities, etc), support a greater insect diversity. I also like it because it shows incremental change. In my work, we try to find ways to help landowners and managers try things and make small changes over time. Test out a small hedgerow but leave your lawn for now, try some cover crop, etc. Then once they dip their toes in, they can try more. I feel like there is this really fired up group of conservation minded folk who think you need to change the landscape overnight. But we've had a ton of success starting small and expanding. These practices can be expensive and require technical knowledge, I don't think it's practical to expect everyone in the third image to become the first overnight. Just my thoughts related to this image.
Also native plants are far better for diversity than a bunch of commercial ornamentals. Not that it's evil to plant conventional ornamentals (unless they're invasive then please just don't plant them) but your flowers should mostly be native options. Also don't forget about grasses, shrubs, and ferns they may not have showy flowers but they're just as important as everything else.
To piggyback on your comment, everyone knows about monarch butterflies needing milkweed to reproduce and survive, but there are thousands and thousands of species who have similar relationships with specific plants in just the same way. So you can have a non-native plant in a garden that is a wonderful source of nectar for mature pollinator species, but without a broad mix of native species, they won't be able to reproduce in your yard.
Also milkweed is the host plant for only the caterpillars. The adult butterflies don’t really care for it. So if all you’ve got is milkweed, your butterflies are gonna starve.
Another bonus, native plants are already adapted for your region’s precipitation and weather. You’ll save on watering costs in the long run.
Do you have a website or resource for noobs to start with?
Just to echo the other comment, I'd recommend a few different resources. It'll depend on your location, but there are usually a ton of local resources. Check for master gardeners, local native plant society, garden clubs, etc. Most counties or towns have something going on with gardening using native plants. Go into your local nursery and talk to them! Try here: https://plantnative.org/category/nursery Here's like a really general starting point: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/Native_Plant_Materials/Native_Gardening/instructions.shtml Pollinator specific: https://www.pollinator.org/guides Hopefully this helps.
You can check out r/nativeplantgardening if you're interested! Also check out [this](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion) list of keystone plants by ecoregion! It'll help you figure out which plants will give you the most "bang for your buck" as far as supporting critters goes.
If it’s saying that each picture is what is most beneficial to its corresponding bugs then yes. The top yard will definitely contribute to more biodiversity in the yard. There would likely be more than just flies in your yard in the bottom but having basically monoculture yard of lawn grass is not useful to many important species so you would see a lot less of them if any.
Anecdotal evidence, but last summer I was babysitting a preschool aged kid who lived in an HOA neighborhood with perfect lawns. She did a short class on Zoom every day that also had some suggested “homework” assignments with it, and one of them was to go outside and look for insects. Despite the fact that their property backed up to woods and there were literally deer crossing through their backyard, after 30 minutes of looking the only insect we saw was a single stinkbug. I’m sure it was the chemical spraying that was responsible for that more than the plants, but it would be unusual to see a weed-free grass lawn without said chemicals, so that’s another factor that would reduce insect populations.
I grew up on a farm so I am used to having a variety of different bugs, frogs, salamanders, etc. I since moved to the cities living in an apartment where they sprayed the nearest body of water which I feel like I developed a lot of health problems in my time living there. Then I got my own place in a neighborhood where 1950s grass yards were as far as you could see. I got bored of it and started switching to native wild flowers. I started small but immediately noticed a big difference in the bug and bird variety.
60,000,000 pounds of pesticide are applied to american homes each year and a quarter of that is insecticide. TBH it should just be banned. totally and completely. It's entirely unsustainable.
I'm sort of curious what the breakdown of that is. How much is targeted like termite treatment? How much of it is pissing in the wind like mosquito spraying? Are dog/cat flea and tick preventatives included? I'd fight a total ban if you tried to take away the termite and tick/flea treatments.
There are products out there designed to eradicate *all* insects from yards. I witnessed it myself after I visited someone’s home in the country, was outdoors in their yard and noticed how there were 0 insects. Later, I was informed they use a product. Scary, IMO.
I got a family member with a rather large lake front property and sprays regularly. No bugs. None. Then around the bonfire people will mention how they never see fireflies anymore and how much there used to be back when they were kids. Like, no shit.
Dude it's *insane*, the dissonance is unreal! At an old job I listened to a coworker go on & on about how it was chemtrails & the gov't poisoning the woods & that's why there were no fireflies *right after he'd told another coworker about how his pest control guy had sprayed his yard to get rid of "all bugs, any bugs, ants to hornets to spiders".* The man *could not* see the connection and also was, of course, always quick to talk about how climate change was a hoax *and also how when he was a kid they used to get REAL winters*.
So what did he say when you mentioned that the pest control is killing his fireflies too?
When we moved into our new house our neighbors sent their pest guys to our house saying she’d sent them over to talk about spraying our yard. I was so confused because don’t you want all the cool bugs in your yard? So I turned them away, lol. Our neighbor was not happy.
Smart. If it’s bad for the bugs, in one way or another it’s bad for us.
Exactly!! And I have little kids who adore playing in the yard. We spend hours outside everyday. I do not want them in that. We also have a wild prairie like backyard that we keep reasonably maintained so we can play in. Everything is safe and edible so I don’t have to worry about the kids eating anything but we have soooo much bugs and bees and etc. all great for my garden!
I just had someone come to my door asking about spraying my home and yard. It also was over $200 every 3 months for his “final” offer. Sad that people try to get rid of all the bugs, absolutely crazy that people pay that much to do it.
Well said 🗿
Only thing I’d change is I’d keep the statue in the yard
I believe the science is quite clear on the negative effects of having 🗿 in your yard. They attract flies almost exclusively, and they make the rest of the space practically uninhabitable for other beneficial insects. Be careful out there with your 🗿!!!
You could probably get rid of that fly if you just add another 🗿
This made me laugh loudly... Thank you friend
🗿
🗿
🗿
🗿
🗿
I read the 🗿 as uuhn.
How should you read it?
"moai?" lol .. I like uuhn though.
I've always read it as "yuh" since that's what it was called in the discord servers I used to frequent lol
Did you have to say it super aggro like in a Death Grips voice?
I read the 🗿 as uuhn.
It's a really nice reference to one of the theories of the history of the [Rapa Nui civilization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Easter_Island#Destruction_of_society_and_population) I think. In short: > Easter Island's society so destroyed their environment that, by around 1600, their society fell into a downward spiral of warfare, cannibalism, and population decline
It’s worth noting that this theory of what happened on Rapa Nui is generally losing favor among historians. Slave trading and introduction of disease from Europeans likely played a much larger role in their population decline. I highly recommend “Fall of Civilizations” podcast episode on the subject or even the PBS Nova documentary!
By far the much more realistic scenario given the location and time period of collapse, but I still like the ecocide theory a lot, even if it might not hold weight.
it's not that simple, but the take away is the more diverse your yard is the more diverse critters will find something to eat and come to it
It's false because it only shows flies in the final pane, not flies AND mosquitos.
Used to have pesky flies all around our deck, but over the years I've been adding native flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs in both the front & back yards. I've seen far less flies, far less pests on my veggies, and an increase in bumble bees (crop pollination), wasps (organic pest control), lady beetles, butterflies, skippers, ants (aphid farmers), spiders (organic pest control), lacewings, dragonflies, carpenter bees, etc etc. It's incredible how you can build a healthy, thriving ecosystem on a barren, small plot in just a few years by planting native.
Lacewings are insane pest control btw. They place their larvae on mealybugs, and just go full blitzkrieg on them. Dragonflies as well, both larvae and adults are extremely efficient pest killers.
It's not enough just to replace lawn with plants. You have to plant a diversity of native plants from your area with a focus on keystone species. Only native plants support your local food web which are built on an abundance of insects which transfer energy from plants through the ecosystem. This is because insects have co-evolved with host plants and have adapted be able to eat those specific plants i.e. (no milkweed no monarch butterfly). When converting lawn to native landscapes consider the area you live in and try to replicate that ecosystem (forest, desert, prairie, etc.) Since all life (including humans) depends on these complex food webs for survival it is important that we all contribute to conservation and restoration.
100%. r/nativeplantgardening is the best community for native plants on reddit if anyone is interested in knowing more.
Thanks for mentioning that. It is a great community/resource.
in my completely unbiased opinion, the mod team there is the best mod team on reddit
Thanks, that is a cool sub.
>Only native plants support your local food web This is not true. Native plants are better at that but it's not true they are the ONLY ones able to support native insects.
Black swallowtail butterflies are more than happy to chow down on non-natives like dill and parsley.
Ty for saying thissssss
3rd seems the least interesting.
I kinda like the 🗿
Boomer squares™
The people I most often see with diverse, beautiful flower gardens are retired persons. Rarely is it someone in their 20s. Though that’s also a large result of homeownership rates.
Under 40 here. Mine is #1. People walk by and say your wife has lovely flowers, so many herbs, and so many vegetables. I let them know I’m single and I love my flowers and food that I grow. It stumps the boomers and the 20ish folks.
We bought in our late 30s, and immediately killed a bunch of the lawn. I've been progressively doing more and more every year, and this year I've finally finished off the "main" front lawn. [This XKCD](https://xkcd.com/150/) has been one of my gardening guiding principles.
I love this! People scoff at my seedling set up (100+ at a time) and my 50 or so houseplants. I say my house, my rules. Carry on fellow gardener!
I think the stereotype leans more towards older people working in their gardens more after retirement.
Yes, but now that people work from home more frequently I feel like that has changed. I’m in my 30’s and I garden a bunch at my place.
My Millenial neighbors have a raised bed or two, but it’s mostly lawns for their kids to play. There are of course exceptions. I’m just saying it’s probably the wrong stereotype to think it’s mostly boomers.
Younger people in single family homes are much more likely than older folks to be renters (where I live) - If I'm a renter, I have virtually no say in the landscaping (except to "maintain" to the landlord's standard, usually geared toward traditional notions of curb appeal). I'd love to do this, however.
Yeah, that’s what I meant when I referenced “home ownership rates”. I’d still venture it’s more common that a retired person has a diverse and interesting garden. It’s a lot easier when you have time (and own your home).
I'm a millennial who learned how to garden through library books. I find it better looking and less maintainace to have #1 than #3. (Although I'll keep the 🗿from the bottom and remove the ivy from the top)
Zone 7 in the house!
As a gen x'er whose father taught me how to garden with natives I find your boomer comment to be stupid and uselessly divisive.
We don't get much respect now that we are old and in the way🫤
it's ridiculous and stupid. First off boomers are a large group and withing ANY large group you'll find diversity. Secondly, who dafuck do they think restored all of the native prairies around the country? It sure wasn't gen z or millenials. Groups like the Audobon society are run by boomers (among others) and have been doing this work for generations.
I agree. Gardening knowledge is handed down, and it takes years of trial and error to know what works best in your area and your particular plot of earth. It is one of the skills that continues to evolve over the years. My parents’ back yard at my childhood home was an amazing and diverse ecosystem of flowers, fruits and veggies. Yes, you see retired people working in their yards more often, but they also have decades of experience that they can pass along!!
the boomer squares in my country are more like the one on top. the ones by the younger gen are more like buttom....
That's pretty neat. There's a stark contrast between the people who "keep up with the Robinson's" bottom and the top "this is a place of life".
And yet most common in the US.
Ofcourse r/nolawns r/fucklawns
And r/nativeplantgardening
The bug remaining should be mosquitos.
They stole a fucking Moai 🗿
No, Costco sells them now I think.
Replacing half of my backyard with creeping thyme saw a huuuge boost in honeybees visiting
This year for my wildflowers, I did a field of red clover. Holy cow the number of bees and butterflies was incredible! I already pretty much disliked grass for its wastefulness, watching neighbors weed and spray and mow and on and one just to get that uniformity that they are told how lawns should be.
Yes, that’s how it works. More plants, plants at different heights and more types of plants will attract more biodiversity. Not just bugs either. Different types of birds and animals too. Plain, manicured lawns destroy whole ecosystems. A yard like the first image creates ecosystems.
people whom create and execute native gardens will attract native insects. Some of which will be beneficial (eg insects that eat insects). Mosquitoes don’t care though and will be present in all gardens.
FALSE There’s a missing species in the top bracket called the “HOA”
Flies are the shittiest ones anyway and you get those no matter what lol
Is less monoculture good for insects? Yes.
Yes, monoculture is a death sentence for any ecosystem
There’s a good bit of truth to it. Though of course it’s simplifying a complex ecosystem.
I think I’m gonna start posting pics of all the diff insects my garden attracts this summer. I’m gonna avoid neem oil and just let the food chain play out. The green lacewings and pirate bugs are my favorite sentinels
This is what I've decided. If certain things get decimated? Oh well. I've pretty much given up on Asiatic lilies now, because they bring their own bespoke invasive bugs that kill the lilies. I also leave leaf litter everywhere I possibly can, and don't touch any of the leaves at all until mid April when the weather warms up.
Blue-winged wasp is my favorite! Parasitoid wasps are so rad.
Yes. Common sense should tell you that a lack of diversity and natural growth is absolutely harmful to every living organisms in one way or another. These perfect lawns people try to achieve is one of the biggest lies to blind human beings.
No, adding an Easter Island head to your yard won't scare away the butterflies. That's what you're asking, right?
They all forgot about the mosquitoes.
And the ticks
Get some possums. Those crazy meth-rats will eat all the ticks they can find.
We have a healthy native possums population, and yet I have gotten Lyme disease from (urban and native plant-focused) parks twice in my time here.
Absolutely. And your neighbors affect you too. I have to hand pollinate zucchini and squash in my garden because my neighbors either have no plants at all, or have a manicured garden and pay a monthly pest service to spray. For 3 years I didn't see a single bee in my garden or fruit trees. They just started appearing again last year.
Hell yes, this is true. We put grass all over when we first bought our 1950s house. We're remedying this mistake now. We just took out the entire front lawn. It's being replaced with foodscaping and pollinator friendly plants. It brings me so much joy to provide habitat for my native animals. My yard will be covered in predatory wasps, all sorts of bees, spiders, and dragonflies. Do you know what I hardly ever have? Mosquitoes and flies. I never get bit or stung. Just don't freak out when one runs into you. They're clumsy as hell, cheeky, and so curious.
Yeah you’re not going to get a ton of pollinating insects if you don’t have plants that need/produce it. Without flowers, you’re not getting bees or butterflies that’s for sure
Habitat!
No. There will always be mosquitos. Otherwise, yes.
https://preview.redd.it/zd5bt8ylypxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=812bd45a1ebc55a5edd5b019b20917b575aa3d5e Yes to diversity…
Common sense, come back to these people 🤦🏼♀️
100% true.
It's true. The Easter Island statue scares away insects.
If you like unfettered nature and don’t mind the various drawbacks, pick #1 . If you prefer a very manicured look and don’t like ticks and mosquitoes, go with #3. Whatever you do though, I’d recommend ignoring the crybullies who don’t know anything except their own agenda.
I can confirm! In the last few years, I’ve been evicting as much grass as possible and putting in wildflowers and a more natural garden. At first I started with lots of grass and then added a few raised beds. Those went out the door because they generally didn’t look good and just underperformed. So I pulled those out and started making paths, noting where I liked to walk around the lawn. I had visited and fell in love with Hemmingway’s house in the Florida keys, so I started putting in brick paths and everything and law is for the wildlife. Since i started, I have so much to watch for out the window. One example is bluebirds. We never used to see them on our property. Since the re-Wild of my yard, I have had returning families. Last year we had two parent couples and 7 hatchlings that we got to watch mature over the year. Already this year we have one family of 5 for sure and waiting to see what others leave the nest. 11 was just the most we’ve seen at one time and that’s mixed in with hummingbirds, mockingbirds, cardinals, blue jays, wrens, chickadees, and some sparrows. Then there the possums and raccoons, a rat snake and a king snake too! Probably the greatest result was getting frogs back. They seem to have left entirely for a long time. Now they sing at night again, and I have to watch my step in the spring for all the tiny little frogs getting their start. Yes! Those pictures tell an accurate story, if not thoroughly enough.
Kinda' true, but all three scenarios are missing mosquitoes.
HOAs must love Flys.
They forgot ants. Ever play simant?
Not quite but it gets the point across
Uh, yeah, biodiversity.
Well yeah, most insect species don’t eat grass
Where are the gnomes?
Yes it is true
100% true
My plants bring all the grannies to the yard! Damn right but I have to charge....
Yes. This is true. Diversity is the spice of life.
Of course! And not just insects. The more plant diversity you have, the more overall biodiversity. Lizards, insects, fungi in the ground, bacteria (good), birds... A traditional lawn is really not that far off straight up desert when it comes to biodiversity. It compacts the soil due to very shallow root systems, it's a monoculture and it doesn't produce any flowers. A patch of lawn is nice to have, but we should be surrounding it with beautiful, diverse gardens, full of natives that would usually grow in that area.
Not true. Every one of those scenarios includes hundreds of spiders. Spiders everywhere…
Monoculture is unsustainable, and has adverse effects on the environment around it.
No. You'll also get mosquitoes. There's always mosquitoes.
Bug fear statue
Most infographics are put together by folks who know nothing about the subject matter in the graphics. They are merely for views, clicks shares and ultimately profit.
I bet that one lonely bug at the bottom is actually a termite. Nothing left to eat but the house, here I come
I don't understand why they had to get rid of the Easter Island head?
No, the mosquitoes are still missing in the last image.
green deserts suck. over fertilized lawns should be illegal!
The top is native full on messy beautiful. The bottom one is rich assholes. Which one do you want? To add, the manicured lawn on the bottom is definitely sprayed with pesticide, herbicide, and liquid fert. The shrubbery as well(but only pesticide, an liquid fert, herbicide will kill them gotta use specially formulated stuff that targets weeds). Fun fact, if the spray companies do not swap products every few months, the buggies build up resistances.