Down with grassy urban wastelands | Letters

Wiebena Heesterman turns down the offer of a perfect weed-free, insect-free lawnRecently, a lawn treatment firm dropped an offer through the letterbox to provide us with "a lawn to be proud of." It would be lush and green, and without any weeds. This might be accomplished by means of a hefty dose of weedkiller and possibly a battery of pesticides. No, I would not be proud of a lifeless, boring expanse of green without any March violets, daisies or dandelions. I want to hear bees buzzing, see butterflies fluttering and hear birds twittering when they are busy building nests. Their chicks need to eat insects, but the lush, green lawn does not harbour any. With thousands of gardens being denuded of wildlife, biodiversity is being lost from the urban environment as well as the countryside (We've lost half our wildlife, 26 March). Please, people with gardens, or even those who have just a balcony with a few flower pots, help us to make our world beautiful and alive again and get some bee-friendly plants that have not undergone any pesticide treatment.Wiebina Heesterman Birminghamo Join the debate - email guardian.letters@theguardian.com Continue reading...