Sir, – Two recent letter writers to your pages questioned the random and indiscriminate mowing of grasses on lawns and road margins (Letters, June 3rd, 1st). It's well past time that we had a change in how we perceive such ill-considered approaches to the destruction of such habitats.
We are conditioned to associate natural or overgrown pastures and lawns as evidence of sloth, laziness or an attitude of decrepitude. Instead, we should view such lush growth on a lawn as the produce of a caring individual, cultivating a precious habitat for the barely seen and unseen creatures vital to our and the world’s wellbeing. As we stand helpless and grieve the relentless ravaging of the Amazon rainforest, we can comfort ourselves with positive restorative actions in our own front gardens. It is past time that local government budgets for cutting these habitats was redirected to maintaining and enhancing and rewilding these valuable cohabited public spaces, areas shared with people and our unseen friends. Only in instances of public safety should these areas be disturbed. And let’s learn to love them too. – Yours, etc,
TOMÁS FINN,
Cappataggle,
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Ballinasloe, Co Galway.
Sir, – This week on the Stillorgan dual carriageway in Dublin, I saw the best of both worlds. Edges of the median strip neatly mown, with big strips left to grow wild. Visually attractive and environmentally friendly, a great compromise.
Wild meadows on highway median strips in the US became a pet project of Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Johnson. A portion of the median strip on Route 6 on Cape Cod was turned into a wildflower meadow. There was uproar one year when the meadow was mown by mistake. Could our Irish motorway median strips also be a great compromise? – Yours, etc,
KATHLEEN KELLEHER,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.