We’re having a little unpleasant weather — high temperatures and sky-high humidity, to the point where this morning we were socked in with a gray mist. The good thing about that, though, is that it highlights all the grass spider webs in our lawn. These are perfect and beautiful.
Yes, we have a few weeds in our lawn. It’s a yard for diverse invertebrates, so that’s OK.
Leaves? The leaves have started to fall? It’s that time, I guess.
PZ wrote: It’s a yard for diverse invertebrates, so that’s OK.
I reply, with a smirk: Oh, what kind of evil woke diversity is that? Don’t you know you are supposed to have a monoculture lawn with only the finest Kentucky Blueblood, (wait bluegrass?) and only one type of right-thinking invertebrates?
Do sheet webs catch more of the bugs going up from the grass, or going down into it?
@shermanj There’s some kind of politucal campaign event being televised tonight, if you really want to see a monoculture of right-thinking invertebrates on display, under the name of a debate. . .
The park where I used to walk the dogs most often when we lived in Sheffield had a huge, sloping south west facing area of mown (mostly) grass, and at this time of year in damp weather with the afternoon sun on it it sparkled with the “parachute” threads of dispersing young spiders. The council had done some planting of native trees and shrub to overcome the windswept nature of the park and introduce some diversity, but it was that very open area that let me see the lace of thousands and thousands of spider threads just resting over the mown grass. Quite, quite beautiful.
Now that is awesome. A few years ago we surrendered to advancing age, and lack of concern about what the neighbors think, and let almost everything go in our backyard; of course, life found its way and it is amazing. A regular 7000sq’ of multiple ecosystems, Including many, many spiders. I box with the wolves every night who live in my Bech by the koi ponds, feisty little things
A plant is only a weed if you don’t want it wherever it is. Otherwise it’s simply part of the diverse yard ecosystem.
We have a postage-stamp-size lawn in our front yard, and a diverse yard ecosystem (that doesn’t need much water, this is California) in the back. We will retire in a couple of years to a completely un-landscaped property in Eastern California, except for maintaining wildfire defensible space. Nature has provided us with the diverse ecosystem pigeonholed as “sagebrush community”, though every year I discover yet another plant that I don’t recognize.
We were at the Eastern California property recently, and I enjoyed sitting on the porch and just noticing the wildlife. Bumper crop of chipmunks this year, arguing territory. A millipede wandered by. Beetles that I don’t recognize, and couldn’t capture photos of (yet). White butterflies that I haven’t identified. We don’t seem to have a whole lot of spiders, which is a shame, since anything that eats mosquitos is a friend of mine. I guess I’ll just have to appreciate the avian F-15s, er, swallows.
I don’t trust a lawn that is completely uniform (maybe why I don’t golf, or maybe the whole eye hand coordination thing). Unfortunately the two non-grass species (dandelion and thistle) are non-native with the thistle considered invasive.
I am slowly turning sections of my yard into native wildflower/butterfly/bee garden space. The spiders are active which I can tell whenever I walk through the yard (especially this time of year) and have to wipe the silk off my face.
@3 drsteve said: if you really want to see a monoculture of right-thinking invertebrates on display, under the name of a debate.
I reply: I had to pick myself up off the floor from laughing. You really took that idea and made it blossom beautifully.