Bright Ideas

This article is not about marijuana, often called “grass”, no, it’s about ground covers. Town property owners are required to maintain their lawns with grass mowed to acceptable levels. And most try to do that, mowing between rains sometimes. We have more weeds than grass in some areas, but at least it’s green.

But how long have residents been mowing properties, didn’t they have animals grazing close to cabins? Was it only in town people were required to clear areas or keep ground cover short? And what were those native ground covers?

The question was posed to the local Natural Resources and Conservation Service. Their answer was substantial to say the least. The list included: Western Wheatgrass, Needle and Thread, Blue Grama, Buffalo Grass, Threadleaf Sedge, and Prairie Sand Reed.

These plants must have tolerated drought, and been available for buffalo to graze on. Did cattle and horses find these plants palatable? When were other crops introduced? What seeds did those early settlers carry with them, and were those seeds varieties comfortable in local conditions?

That’s a lot of questions to mull over when getting ready to push your mower through your lawn, a small plot where specific varieties of grass were planted. Someone else did most of the work: removing former ground covers, raking the ground and broadcasting seed. All you have to do is mow.

I’m not saying you have to whistle while you work, but think about what came before. Think about the animals that grazed the area, and grasses that flourished here. We are just the latest residents of the land, and certainly not the last.