Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!edsews!edsdrd!gss From: gss@edsdrd.eds.com (Gary Schiltz) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: Why People Like Lawns, etc. Message-ID: <115@arcturus.edsdrd.eds.com> Date: 13 Jan 89 20:51:53 GMT References: <23468@mordor.s1.gov> <3057@cbnews.ATT.COM> Organization: EDS Research and Development, Auburn Hills, MI 48057 Lines: 37 In article <3057@cbnews.ATT.COM>, wbt@cbnews.ATT.COM (William B. Thacker) writes: > > Swamp is out; breeds mosquitos and other pests, with accompanying diseases. > Dense forests are impractical, as they block too much sunlight and are > generally unattractive. Personally, I consider monocultured grass lawns to be pretty unattractive (where's the variety?) and impractical (can I really spare 5 hours each summer weekend for mowing grass, here in the 'Land of Briggs & Stratton'?). My idea of the ideal cover for my yard is whatever grows there if I just leave it alone. I could even just plow it up first (safer than burning it) and watch succession over the years (better than TV). Now, if only my neighbors would agree :-) I don't have any emperical evidence for my position, but I have a different explanation for why people like grass lawns better than naturally occurring flora. I think that there are two major reasons. First, I think that modern man has become scared of that which he is unable to control, i.e. the natural world. I often hear my neighbors making statements like: "I had to cut the brush around the edge of my property, because there might be SNAKES hiding in there [and, of course, all snakes are bad, right] ...", or "I cut the dandelions out of my yard because they attract BEES [and, or course, we wouldn't want Junior to get stung, now would we?]." Secondly, I believe that the manicured yard appeals to the over inflated importance given to a "work ethic". A yard does take a lot of effort to keep manicured (watered, mowed, weeded, fertilized), especially compared to just letting whatever grows there grow there. To just take what comes and appreciate it would seem lazy to our society, and that is preceived as bad. Anyway, I've rambled long enough. -- /\ What cheer, /\ | Gary Schiltz, EDS R&D, 3551 Hamlin Road | / o< cheer,