By Linda Quinn & Mary Dix, Iowa City
Do you have a plant out of place in your lawn? Those out-of-place pops of color in our yards have gotten a bad reputation over the past 40 years. But not to everyone in Iowa City! There’s a lot of folks who allow these plants in places such as our city parks, our school grounds and residential yards. Colorful flowers in the grass show that toxic chemicals are not being sprayed there. Kids can frolic and pets can roll in such lawns without exposure to cancer linked chemicals such as glyphosate.
Plants out-of-place provide food for early pollinating insects, bees and butterflies. Such lawns help reduce the storm water cleanup costs that we all end up paying for. That’s right! Weed-killing chemicals end up in our stormwater and streams! Iowa Department of Natural Resources understands the damage these chemicals have on natural water systems. DNR encourages environmentally friendly lawn care through cost-share programs administered by cities and counties across the state. Rebate programs such as Stormwater Cost-Share, Soil Health and Your Best Lawn help homeowners get greener lawns using fewer chemicals. Enter a lawn culture that encourages appreciation of diverse lawns to protect child health, water quality, pets, pollinators and biodiversity!
