Ah, spring! The flowers, the birds, the balmy weather and a vast array of herbicides and pesticides coating American lawns. It is the season of lawn care commercials, picturing happy families and their pets on bright green, weedless, grub-free yards. Jealous neighbors, with pock-marked lots, just stare and shake their heads. One call to the Lawn Wizard, with his tank truck of chemicals, would solve their problem.
Americans, devoted to their patch of grass, have been taught that dandelions and other broad-leafed "weeds" are a scourge on society and that we owe it to our neighbors to maintain a "healthy," attractive lawn. And the only way to achieve these goals is to spread a mixture of poisons on our grass or, better yet, hire a company to do it for you!
While all of the attention seems to be on global warming these days, we overlook the huge quantity of toxins that are poured onto lawns and crop fields, eventually making their way into our rivers and wetlands. I recommend that we let the cottontails consume our dandelions, plantain and clover and rely on the birds and moles to control the grubs. Our neighbors will get over it and we'll all be better off!
