As is with so many things, we have been brainwashed into thinking that the only beautiful yard is one with a perfectly green, manicured, lawn with absolutely no weeds.

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I'm not saying that this kind of yard isn't beautiful but, at what cost. I see my neighbors spraying poison on their yards and I wonder if they don't know what they are doing to the environment and wildlife, or if they just don't care.

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I don't want to be one of those people.

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According to the National Wildlife Federation, Native plants have formed symbiotic relationships with native wildlife over thousands of years, and therefore offer the most sustainable habitat. A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction.

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Why not find out about native plants, indigenous to your area, and plant some of those. And yes, some of these may be what we have been trained to think of as weeds.

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Who gets to decide what is a beautiful plant and what is a weed? Monsanto? I'm sure Monsanto has put a lot of effort into convincing everyone of all the weeds they need to kill off their property. And how thoughtful of them to offer us Roundup Weed Killer to manage that. 

What a huge money maker that has been for Monsanto.

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It's past time for people to start realizing this and let nature be nature and appreciate it for what it is and not just what you can manipulate it to be.

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Does this mean I think everyone should give up their lawn? No, a lawn is a great thing. But what should be given up is an obsession over having a perfect, weed free, lawn and using environmentally dangerous products on your lawn to achieve this. Also, in my opinion, your entire property doesn't need to be covered in manicured grass. Maybe, property size permitting, you could have a small front yard and a small back yard area for lawn, then bring in more native plants around the perimeters of the property.

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When considering plants thought of as weeds, one of the first to come to my mind is Dandelions. From my understanding, dandelions are one of the first plants to flower and, after a long winter, bees depend heavily on them as one of their first spring food sources.

Bees need Dandelions and we need Bees