In Aldo Leopold's A Sand Count Almanac he mentions the replacement of wild tall grasses with cultivated strands. He uses the example of Kentucky Blue Grass. I had never really though about the fact that grass is an invasive species. It's funny to think how much time and energy people spend into manicuring grass.
I also realize that sidewalks were constructed so that people don't have to walk in the grass. So often people walk in the grass anyway. This kills several of the microorganisms that were living there. It's just strange that people changed the land by replacing everything with an invasive species that was more aesthetically pleasing, built sidewalks to protect that species, and now walk all over that species killing the organisms that people in effect put there.
I always notice the grass. Particularly in parks, it always looks like the grass is rebelling against the concrete and slowly trying to work its way back over where it was cut from.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery the Leopold gives is great though. That reading really made me feel like he did more than personify the earth, but actually gave it a "personality" so to say that is more intrinsic than we could project onto it.