Keeping short grass helps keep vermin away from the house. It is pleasing to walk on, shoes or barefoot. It has an orderly aesthetic. HOAs and city ordinances

Keeping short grass helps keep vermin away from the house. It is pleasing to walk on, shoes or barefoot. It has an orderly aesthetic. HOAs and city ordinances that measure the height of your grass to within a quarter of an inch are absurd, but letting your entire yard go wild isn't great either. My house is surrounded by forest and wild grassy areas, but we still keep a buffer of short grass at least 25' on all sides (with some ornamental bushes and a few select trees) and I wouldn't give it up for anything.