The four goslings and eleven ducklings are still doing well. However, watching the ducklings has caused me to rethink my attitude toward this untidy part of my yard, a marshy area covered with grasses, Cattails, and weeds. Why the ducklings? Last year I had the landscaper cut back the whole area in late winter. The marsh looked cleaner, but there were no ducklings the following spring. I was going to do the same this year, but persistent rains made the area too wet to work in. This spring we have ducklings.
Coincidence? I don’t know, but it’s enough to make me question the wisdom of mowing the marsh. The tall grasses and weeds provide concealed nesting areas for ducks and seeds for birds. Even the invasive Cattails serve a purpose—ducklings swim among them for cover while foraging. The boggy area doesn’t conform to the suburban ideal of a manicured yard, but there is beauty in the marsh’s wildness.
I know that other, less savory, creatures inhabit the marsh, like rodents and snakes, but they’re part of nature, too. And it gives
them a place to call home that’s far from my house.
Even though I still dream of beautiful flower beds and a pristine lawn stretching to the lake, a manicured marsh wouldn’t seem like an improvement to the birds, waterfowl, and other creatures. The natural look is here to stay!
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