16 September 2007

Ferns

The patch of ground just beyond my patio looks like standard suburban lawn from a distance - but it's not. Here's what it would look like if you were 2 inches (5 cm) tall:



It's a jungle out there, and it isn't grass! Most of the greenery is actually some kind of fern. I have no idea what species.



There are also patches of moss, a few rare dandelions (which don't seem to thrive in the southeastern U.S.), and some tiny purple flowers. Occasionally there are mushrooms. Birds like to peck at the ground - I see cardinals, brown thrashers, and sometimes robins. And who knows what lurks under the leaf litter.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it suppose to be grass? If it is I guess it needs to be cleaned from fern as it probably kills the grass under it. And the moss need to be raked away.

But...actually...I think your ground seems to be more interesting than a real lawn. So I'd say keep it that way ;).

Jim Wright said...

The soil is too acidic, hence the moss and ferns. A couple of bags of lime pellets and grass will grown just fine.

Of course, I like moss and ferns better, but that's me.

MWT said...

I have a philosophical objection to suburban lawns, actually. It's supposed to be grass (according to the apartment complex), but it's also not my patch of ground, so I don't really get a say. It would probably be trees if they didn't keep mowing it down to the one-inch level.