Why I disagree with those defending turf grasses

 

Drifts of native plants threaten to engulf the author's front yard/Jim McCormac

Why I disagree with those defending turf grasses

NATURE
Columbus Dispatch
November 2, 2025

A friend recently sent me a column entitled “Dispelling social media myths about gardening, pollinators and more.”

Myth-busting is always a step forward in our intellectual progress, whether said myth originates on social media, or anywhere else. The problem with this column, which is making the rounds, is that it perpetuates many falsehoods, rather than correct them. It essentially appears to be a defense of turf grass, and other biodiversity-reducing landscape activities.

Turf grass, sod, lawn — whatever you want to call it — is conspicuous and pervasive. An estimated 40-50 million acres of the stuff blankets America, and perhaps two million acres cover Ohio. It’s highly likely that most readers manage a lawnscape, as do I (but a much diminished one).
Lawn is typically a monoculture of one species, often bluegrass, fescue, or perhaps rye grass. They’re not species native to North America, hailing from Eurasia. These species are selected for traits such as shallow root systems and quick growth. They create a high-maintenance and utterly artificial ecosystem that supports little in the way of biodiversity.

For much of the growing season, turf grass requires weekly mowings. Such maintenance in the pursuit of superficial aesthetics uses an estimated 800 million gallons of gas annually in America, which is fed to mowers that emit much higher rates of pollution than cars do. The U.S. EPA estimates that 17 million gallons of gas are spilled annually in the pursuit of lawn mowing.

Worse yet, America’s lawns — which collectively blanket an area about the size of New York state — are doused with an estimated 2.4 million tons of fertilizer each year. Turf grass is the United States’ third largest crop, after corn and soybeans. Fertilizer usage pales compared to herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. About 80 million pounds of 2,4-D, malathion, azoxystrobin and all manner of other unpronounceable nasties are dumped on lawns each year. Most of them have deleterious — even fatal — effects on bees, birds, mammals, fish and other aquatic species. Furthermore, these toxins don’t just stay in your yard. Most of them have been detected in groundwater.

I noticed that the column did not mention any of the statistics cited above. The author did cite an expert who informs us that fireflies are not declining. This apparently is part of making a case that light pollution and turf grass has no impact on these charismatic flashers. In other words, don’t worry about leaving those nightlights on and turf grass is just fine for the bugs. That’s not the consensus among groups like The Xerces Society, which is devoted to the study and conservation of invertebrates. I wrote my column of July 20, on fireflies: “Fireflies are scarcer than a few decades ago.” The evidence leaves little doubt that “lightning bugs” are in a downward slide, and lawns and nightlights are part of the problem.

Elsewhere in the columm it is stated: “Many on social media suggest lawns are sterile and have no use.” Guilty as charged, and I do not know of a botanist, ecologist, entomologist or zoologist who wouldn’t feel like I do. And I know a lot of those types.

Biodiversity plummets in largely sterile monocultures of nonnative turf grass. Most of our native insects — the base layer of the food chain — are tightly tied to native flora. This makes sense, as those relationships were forged over very long time periods, far longer than the comparatively recent arrival of Europeans in America and the Old-World flora that they brought and continue to bring.

One insect group that does not flourish in turf grass are the so-called grass skipper butterflies. “Do you like skipper butterflies? Turfgrass is needed for many species of skippers as their larvae feed on insects in the turfgrass.” So states the column.

All grasses are not created equal, and the native grasses such as bluestems, redtop and rice cutgrasses far outshine turf grasses. Of the 16 species of grass skippers that regularly occur in Ohio, all of their caterpillars feed on native grasses (not “insects in the turfgrass”).

Moths are far more speciose than butterflies and vital to food chains, especially their caterpillars. Their diversity sinks to nearly nothing in turf grass meadows. A handful of species can endure the botanical desert, such as some armyworms, cutworms, grass-veneers and sod webworms. Lawns are effective at creating biological dead zones.

Those who wish to help wildlife and create a more environmentally friendly landscape should look to using native plants. There are over 1,800 native plants species in Ohio, and an ever-increasing number of them are finding their way into the nursery trade. As I and scores of others know from experience, adding native flora fosters fireflies, skipper butterflies and all manner of cool moths. Birds such as Carolina wrens, tufted titmice and migrant warblers benefit as a result.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jimmccormac.blogspot.com.