Greening Up

Among the positive changes that 2021 has brought comes the greening of the park. The past year’s drought left much of the grassy areas in the park looking like a moonscape. Thanks to the rains, the sleeping seeds in the soil are waking up, Tender new shoots of grasses and other things are pushing toward the sun. Already the park’s slopes wear a haze of green. It won’t be long before the revived vegetation grows into a solid cloak. In a month or so, it’ll be knee high, and birds will begin nesting in it. Then we’ll need Parks management to show restraint with the mowing machines. By all means, mow in the dog park if you must, but let the plants thrive in the rest of the park. Untimely mowing gives weeds, including foxtails (barley), the sunshine and space they need to flourish. When weeds have to compete with other grasses, they don’t do so well. Check it out: foxtails are almost absent in areas of the park that are never mowed.