Bee Friendly Yard Becomes Neighborhood Sanctuary
From the front curb, it’s obvious
that featureless green grass isn’t Cheryl’s priority. The lawn is dotted
with white clover and dandelion blooms. A wide rain garden borders a
curbside city storm drain, and garden signs announce that this is
pollinator-friendly territory. Sprawling garden beds are already lush
and blooming. They lead the eye to the back yard, which slopes down to
the lakeshore where red-winged blackbirds chirp and flit between tall
reeds.
Crooked Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in the metro, but it wasn’t always that way. Over the years, Cheryl witnessed firsthand the cumulative effect of chemical lawn treatments and pollution as milfoil shrouded the surface of the lake. Years of treatment have restored the lake’s clear waters, but Cheryl recognized this as a microcosm of global water issues. She’s dedicated to making a positive environmental impact by “saving the globe one yard at a time.”
Creating a yard that’s hospitable to pollinators is an ongoing process. Cheryl embraces the cycles of the season as opportunities to evolve her garden — and gradually reduce the amount of lawn. Her enthusiasm for environmentally responsible yard care has had a ripple effect. Kids visit her garden to search for caterpillars, and most of her neighbors have stopped treating their own lawns with chemicals.