It can be easy to look at your lawn and see work to do. You see grass that is overgrown, a flower bed that is full of weeds, and bushes that need to be trimmed. However, for spiders, ants, and other insects, your lawn, bushes, and flower bed are their homes. There are several reasons why you may want to consider the wildlife in your yard and garden before going all out in trimming them. It could mean that you will prioritize preserving habitats over aesthetics.

Let Your Lawn Grow a Little Longer

Garden wildlife needs variation. A short and even lawn looks nice and is not necessarily bad for wildlife as long as they have other options for vegetation. However, a short and even lawn that lacks fruit bushes, ponds, flowerbeds, or vegetable plots can be like a desert for insects and other wildlife.

If possible, avoid mowing all of your lawn. Keep a part of it nice and neat, but let other areas grow wild. This is going to be beneficial for birds, amphibians, spiders, and reptiles.

Let Nature Control Herself 

One concern that you might have is that if you let your grass grow tall, the bugs and other wildlife will get out of hand. However, nature does an outstanding job at maintaining balance.

If you let some of your grass grow tall while you mow the grass in other areas, the wildlife will benefit. You will benefit as a gardener as well. When you have a diverse garden ecosystem, nature will keep pests under control.

Where there is longer grass, shrews, birds, hedgehogs, and worms will hide during the day. They are going to attack slugs, weevils, and another pests. Longer grass near ponds can become home to frogs and other amphibians. Amphibians will help control the mosquito and fly population.

Let Dead Grass Dry Out

If you cut your grass and let it dry and become hay, this is amazing for birds that eat seeds. As the summer grass stays in the sun, it releases fresh seeds for your lawn next year, but it is also a source of food for wildlife and birds that eat the seeds. After letting the dead grass dry out for a couple of days, you can remove it and compost it.

Even the Weeds Have Benefits

Some of your lawn weeds will not get cut with the first mow over. If you want to protect the habitat of insects, spiders, and other wildlife, let some weeds grow. Many opt to use weed killer to get rid of weeds. In doing so, they are basically poisoning the lawn. Of course, you don’t have to allow weeds to run wild, but you can protect insects and other wildlife by selecting areas of the lawn where you will allow weeds to grow.

It is understandable that you want your lawn to look its best. It adds to the curb appeal of your home. However, an occasional spider, bird, or insect in your lawn is nothing to fuss over. Not only are these tiny creatures fun to watch, but they can also add to the health of your lawn.

Winter is here. Far from being an ominous thing, winter is an enjoyable season that gives your lawn a chance to rest and prepare for the spring. It is important that you take the proper steps to maintain your lawn in the weeks leading up to winter. The more you do to protect your lawn before winter, the healthier your lawn will be once winter passes.

If you don’t prepare your lawn in advance, you may not recognize your lawn by time the snow melts away and spring comes around. Now is the time to think about the work needed to prepare your lawn. Here are a few tips that can help.

Stop Using Your Lawn

One of the nicest things about having a lawn is that you can use it as a recreation area. Your kids can go out and play, you can toss the ball around with friends, and you can enjoy the sun and a cool breeze. While this may be true for most of the year, in the weeks leading up to winter, you must give your lawn a rest.

Look for objects, such as toys left behind by children and pets, and clear them away. Put lawn furniture in storage. If there are large pieces of rocks or wood on your lawn, clear them away.

There are two reasons you are doing this. First, if you clear off your lawn, it’s going to be easier for you to prep it by doing aeration and other procedures. Second, if you leave objects on your lawn and then the snow falls, the added weight could damage the grass underneath and inhibit growth.

Condition Your Lawn

Your lawn will not grow during the winter. It’s just too cold, there is not enough rain, and there’s not enough sunshine. Since your lawn will not grow during the winter, use the pre-wintertime to condition your lawn. The goal is to prep your lawn so it can withstand the winter and so that it will be in optimal condition for growth by spring.

Conditioning your lawn means doing turf maintenance. The first step is simply to mow your lawn. Any long grass left through the winter months can inhibit spring growth.

Prepare Your Lawn for Seeds

Once you have mowed your lawn and aerated it, now you can prep your lawn for seeds. You probably need to add compost. The compost you add should be cold so that it doesn’t damage your lawn. The compost should be spread over the lawn at about 1/2 inch thick. You will also want to introduce fertilizer. You need to evaluate the type of lawn you have in advance so you know the right fertilizer to use.

The snow cover during the winter months protects the soil and leads to good growth in the spring. It also provides moisture, so there is no reason to water your lawn during the winter. Winter can be difficult for your lawn. That’s why you need to prepare it properly.