Modern neatness is the enemy of wildlife
Neatness is the enemy of wildlife. Much traditional landscaping, for example, is open and neatly trimmed, with little room for birds and other animals, and it often requires heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides.
Let the weeds and bushes grow. Plant native trees.
Our demand for unblemished fruit and catsup without insect parts forces the heavy use of pesticides and forces farmers to go to great lengths to control birds and other “pests.” Blemished or slightly wormy fruit is still edible.
My father had the habit of never eating an apple without taking out his pocketknife and cutting it up. This habit was ingrained from being brought up on a farm in the days before the heavy use of pesticides.
Adopting simple habits like this can help to save wildlife (and maybe your own health).
— Dr. Peter Moyle, et al. From an introductory course on wildlife conservation taught at the University of California, Davis.
You can read it in its entirety..
As we manicure our green space, nuking bugs and napalming weeds, we drive hedgehogs and their food out into a wilderness with little sign of comfort.
