7 ms·

I don't think it's as simple as feeling peer pressure to have a yard look the same. My backyard got out of control one year, and it quickly became a haven for m

by hn8788 5y ago

I don't think it's as simple as feeling peer pressure to have a yard look the same. My backyard got out of control one year, and it quickly became a haven for mice, rabbits, snakes, turtles, crickets, mosquitoes, etc. All of that affects your neighbors as well. Since I've gotten better about keeping the grass cut, I haven't had to deal with any of those pests. I still don't fertilize or bother to keep weeds out, but keeping it short enough that it doesn't become a vermin sanctuary is part of being a good neighbor, IMO.

fnimick 5y ago
Your "vermin" is someone else's healthy native ecosystem. I am letting my yard overgrow right now because it is providing homes for wild rabbits. Is that being a bad neighbor?
- krupan 5y ago
  If we wanted native ecosystems we wouldn't live in tightly sealed homes in engineered neighborhoods, we'd have lean-tos in the woods.
  - AlexandrB 5y ago
    Yes, it has to be one or the other. No other types of housing exist.
- hn8788 5y ago
  If the rabbits aren't just staying in your yard, then I'd say you're being a bad neighbor. In my experience, the rabbits dig a bunch of holes, and leave piles of poop everywhere, even on porches and sidewalks. If you want to have a wild animals living in your yard, you should move to a rural area.
  - ceph_ 5y ago
    If you want to live in an area devoid of nature you should move to a city. But holy shit, rabbits are so benign in their impact. They're not creating tons of burrows like moles. And oh no, you have to deal with tiny poop that's 90% grass and doesn't even smell? People like you are the problem.
- jandrese 5y ago
  It's also a nice home for mice. Unfortunately the mice population tends to grow large enough that they look for new homes. Your home and your neighbor's homes start to look very enticing and pretty soon you're hearing chewing the walls and power sockets stop working randomly. One of my neighbors let their backyard run wild like that and a couple of years later exterminator trucks were a common sight in the driveways.
- Mountain_Skies 5y ago
  If your neighbor wants to reduce their dependency on the industrial food system by growing a edible garden in their backyard, yes, rabbits are vermin to them. Each time your rabbits eat your neighbor's lettuce, a head of lettuce from somewhere else in the world (hopefully a local farm but probably not) has to be trucked in to the food market to be purchased by the neighbor.
i_haz_rabies 5y ago
Those are the displaced natives of our cities and suburbs. I get that no one wants mice around, but if that is the price for giving all the other species a home, I think it's worth it. I think it's fair to argue that this aspect of "being a good neighbour" is an attitude incompatible with living sustainably.
yummypaint 5y ago
I can empathize with NIMBYism if someone is trying to build a coal mine upstream of you, but for native plants and animals? Frankly these are the sentiments that take away my faith in the future of our species. We are in the midst of a global ecological collapse driven by human activity. You could consider being a better neighbor to all the other complex life on the planet.
- giantg2 5y ago
  The mosquito issue mentioned in the parent is valid in many areas. After all, they kill more humans than any other animal. The good news is that there are biological controls like BTI that are effective.
  - i_haz_rabies 5y ago
    Part of the reason mosquitos get so out of control is because we've killed off all the bats, birds, and predatory insects that keep them in check.
    - losvedir 5y ago
      What explains the pervasive malaria that used to be in this country then?
      - 35fbe7d3d5b9 5y ago
        Malaria isn't in the country because in the late 40s the US Public Health Service sprayed the interiors of five million southern homes with DDT, drained wetlands, and carpet bombed counties with pesticides. They did that until the mosquito population dropped enough that the transmission cycle was broken. There are still tons of mosquitoes able to carry malaria in the US. They haven't been killed off - heck, my cat caught one in the laundry room a few days ago! But humans are the only relevant reservoir for malaria, so as long as we use good public health techniques like screening individuals from endemic areas, it's possible to let the US remain malaria free.
walterlb 5y ago
Imagining a backyard infested with turtles made my day :) But I totally agree with you.
aporetics 5y ago
They’re animals. Not “pests”. This state of mind is why we’ve killed off 60% of animal populations since 1970. [0] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/30/humanity-wiped-out-animals-since-1970-major-report-finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/30/humanity...
- AlexandrB 5y ago
  This applies to native plants (AKA weeds) as well. Dandelions and clovers are basically harmless native species good for the soil and/or pollinators but are treated like hostile invaders by some homeowners.

by hn8788 5y ago

fnimick 5y ago

Your "vermin" is someone else's healthy native ecosystem. I am letting my yard overgrow right now because it is providing homes for wild rabbits. Is that being a bad neighbor?

krupan 5y ago
If we wanted native ecosystems we wouldn't live in tightly sealed homes in engineered neighborhoods, we'd have lean-tos in the woods.
- AlexandrB 5y ago
  Yes, it has to be one or the other. No other types of housing exist.
hn8788 5y ago
If the rabbits aren't just staying in your yard, then I'd say you're being a bad neighbor. In my experience, the rabbits dig a bunch of holes, and leave piles of poop everywhere, even on porches and sidewalks. If you want to have a wild animals living in your yard, you should move to a rural area.
- ceph_ 5y ago
  If you want to live in an area devoid of nature you should move to a city. But holy shit, rabbits are so benign in their impact. They're not creating tons of burrows like moles. And oh no, you have to deal with tiny poop that's 90% grass and doesn't even smell? People like you are the problem.
jandrese 5y ago
It's also a nice home for mice. Unfortunately the mice population tends to grow large enough that they look for new homes. Your home and your neighbor's homes start to look very enticing and pretty soon you're hearing chewing the walls and power sockets stop working randomly. One of my neighbors let their backyard run wild like that and a couple of years later exterminator trucks were a common sight in the driveways.
Mountain_Skies 5y ago
If your neighbor wants to reduce their dependency on the industrial food system by growing a edible garden in their backyard, yes, rabbits are vermin to them. Each time your rabbits eat your neighbor's lettuce, a head of lettuce from somewhere else in the world (hopefully a local farm but probably not) has to be trucked in to the food market to be purchased by the neighbor.

i_haz_rabies 5y ago

Those are the displaced natives of our cities and suburbs. I get that no one wants mice around, but if that is the price for giving all the other species a home, I think it's worth it. I think it's fair to argue that this aspect of "being a good neighbour" is an attitude incompatible with living sustainably.

yummypaint 5y ago

I can empathize with NIMBYism if someone is trying to build a coal mine upstream of you, but for native plants and animals? Frankly these are the sentiments that take away my faith in the future of our species. We are in the midst of a global ecological collapse driven by human activity. You could consider being a better neighbor to all the other complex life on the planet.

giantg2 5y ago
The mosquito issue mentioned in the parent is valid in many areas. After all, they kill more humans than any other animal. The good news is that there are biological controls like BTI that are effective.
- i_haz_rabies 5y ago
  Part of the reason mosquitos get so out of control is because we've killed off all the bats, birds, and predatory insects that keep them in check.
  - losvedir 5y ago
    What explains the pervasive malaria that used to be in this country then?
    - 35fbe7d3d5b9 5y ago
      Malaria isn't in the country because in the late 40s the US Public Health Service sprayed the interiors of five million southern homes with DDT, drained wetlands, and carpet bombed counties with pesticides. They did that until the mosquito population dropped enough that the transmission cycle was broken. There are still tons of mosquitoes able to carry malaria in the US. They haven't been killed off - heck, my cat caught one in the laundry room a few days ago! But humans are the only relevant reservoir for malaria, so as long as we use good public health techniques like screening individuals from endemic areas, it's possible to let the US remain malaria free.

walterlb 5y ago

Imagining a backyard infested with turtles made my day :) But I totally agree with you.

aporetics 5y ago

They’re animals. Not “pests”. This state of mind is why we’ve killed off 60% of animal populations since 1970. [0] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/30/humanity-wiped-out-animals-since-1970-major-report-finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/30/humanity...

AlexandrB 5y ago
This applies to native plants (AKA weeds) as well. Dandelions and clovers are basically harmless native species good for the soil and/or pollinators but are treated like hostile invaders by some homeowners.