I view my lawn the same way as the author, in that I do want there to be a good amount of biodiversity there. I let everything grow in the yard sections and even have parts that I leave almost totally wild without even cutting. But I also don't want weeds growing in the cracks between my paving stones, or poison ivy growing anywhere, and there's not a whole lot that works on knotweed! So I don't use a ton of Roundup but I do use a bit here and there. In moderation is again key but doesn't seem to fit into anyone's ideological framework these days.
Some areas have farmers that will drop off a small herd of goats that will happily eat all of that poison ivy for a reasonable price. I've always wanted to do it, but only this year have we produced enough poison ivy where it may make sense.
> In moderation is again key but doesn't seem to fit into anyone's ideological framework these days.
Well phrased. Too much reasoning these days proceeds backwards from ideological tautology.
Needless overapplication of broadleaf herbicides in pursuit of perfect US lawns has harmed biodiversity. [0]
Herbicide use has also allowed agricultural yields that would have been inconceivable decades ago. [1]
Both of these things can simultaneously be true: there's no need to start from "all chemicals bad" or "all chemicals good" and only accept facts which fit those beliefs.
[0] For anyone who wants to peer into the mountains of madness, ask a Florida lawn company what their recommended annual plan is. There's fertilizer and artificial irrigation (to grow grass at all in sandy, nutrient-poor soil), herbicide, fungicide (in case it happens to be hot and wet at the same time), and then resodding every few years anyway because something goes awry.
I love clovers, I love some weeds. But there are weeds in Australia that stick to your shoes, your hair, your feet and are painfully hard to get rid of. There are also painful bindis that stick razer sharp spikes into your feet as you walk. There are itchy, hairy weeds that sting you.
Without these, it's just ugly. But obviously with these is a waste of a backyard.
