How I Began Rewilding

When I was in college, I often took walks in a nearby tiny park. I loved being in nature, feeling the wildness of the unkempt park around me. It had a small creek on its periphery, and water is always inspiring. Then the city came in with mowers, cut all the undergrowth that was home to countless insects and other wildlife, and basically sterilized the park. Very upsetting.

Years later, I was considering cutting the grass in my backyard, as I had been doing for years. I remembered the park from college days and thought - if I didn't like it in the park, why am I cutting my lawn? The yard had lots of fireflies in the summer, but always fewer after cutting the grass. So I stopped.

After that it just evolved. I gained a respect for insects, learned about various groundcovers, and researched the new things living around me. These days I rarely plant anything and let nature be my landscaper.

Rewilding is a wonderful thing to do, both for yourself, your yard, and the wildlife around you. If you want to start, do it however seems right to you. (More later on ways to get started.)