How to Observe - Lawns

This is my actual lawn in the springtime!

Observing lawns... first let’s define what a lawn is. I’ll admit I have used lawn and yard interchangeably but for this post I wanted to find and define the proper term. It turns out a yard is all of the green-space around your property, this includes flowerbeds, gardens, hedgerows; the lawn is the open space that the grass is allowed to grow but is mowed, trimmed, and manicured to allow room for play, picnics, and other activities. Cool! I’m not going to get into how bad it is to spray chemicals on your lawn to attempt to get the perfect - lush - grass only - growing at 2.5inches high - carpet of a lawn, I’m only going to say you’ll have a much more diverse array of wildlife visit your lawn if you don’t.
Okay! How do we go about observing a lawn? The easiest way is to grab a blanket and go out in the middle of the lawn and sit down. If we get the snow they’re calling for today you might need a lawn chair to sit but yes, you can observe your lawn even with snow cover!

• Find a nice spot and sit on the lawn
  • Look around and observe any different types of growth
  • Notice how the lawn is made up of a diverse group of completely different plants
    • On my lawn (we’ll say 2ft x2ft box) besides the standard grass you’d expect, I was able to find Creeping Charlie, Wood Sorell, Sweet Clover, Purslane, Violets, Dandelion, Spring Beauties, Crab Grass, Plantain, and a few others I’m not yet familiar with.
  • Spring - You may not be able to identify the leaves right away but monitor the area through the year, as spring comes and the flowers begin to bloom, allow your lawn to grow a little shaggy and notice the blanket of flowers that will bloom if allowed. 
  • Summer - Once summer comes around, sit in the same area and observe the different insects that wander through the grasses, some eating the leaves, some enjoying the nectar, others are just trotting along on their way. 
  • Winter - Even if your lawn is covered in snow there is much to observe.
    • Notice the snow itself, is it falling in large clusters or as tiny ice pellets from the sky? Can you observe individual flakes and the unique patterns within?
    • As the snow falls heavier notice if it clings to certain things more than others - we were out hiking and it began to snow and we noticed the snow began to accumulate on the tree roots (and where the tree roots lay just under the trail) before anywhere else. 
    • If there is a wind, does it create snowdrifts?
    • After the snow, once the sun comes out, watch as it melts certain areas while the shadows stay snowy.
    • With a flat even snowfall you’ll be able to notice any rolling (I don’t want to say hills) on the lawn that you may not have noticed before.
    • It is also a great time to get an idea of what animals come visit by observing tracks in the snow. 
      • Although at different times of year different animals will be more active, if you allow the lawn to grow naturally you’ll be providing the food sources for many animals in the area. 
      • Throughout the year we get squirrels, birds (song and raptors), skunk, opossum, rabbits, groundhogs, chipmunks, stray cats, deer, moles, and those are the ones we know about!
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You might not think it, but by learning about your lawn, you learn about a whole other world in your backyard!