This spring it was intriguing to note the Town of Olds governance and management decision to naturalize some of the green space in our community. Subsequently I have heard comments and complaints about this decision.
As I felt relatively uninformed about naturalization, I did some on-line research. What I discovered were several sites, Canadian and international, on that topic, including the Green Communities site.
We have long been aware of the monoculture nature of the lawns we create, consisting of non-native turf-grasses that form a dense mat of short “stubble” of little ecological value, grown for appearance only. I have regularly been obsessed with maintaining our green carpets, investing effort and coin for maintenance; watering, spraying, pulling alien plants, eradicating insects, mowing, etc.
As we face the reality of climate change, there is a growing emphasis on landscaping that is drought-resistant and resilient to our climate. On a recent visit to south-west England we noticed the trend toward naturalization of green spaces and the call for citizens to follow the No Mow May theme, to provide natural flowers for beneficial insects, especially bees.
As I learned, the process of naturalization is not neglect, but a long-term plan to enhance the ecological diversity and value of green spaces. There are many reasons why this can be a positive practice. After researching the topic, I am pleased that Olds is including naturalization in our green space management.
Warren L. Smith,
Olds
