Here at IRWA, we prefer to think of your dormant, end-of-summer, dried-out lawn as a golden trophy — the prize for protecting our ecosystem! Did you know traditional grass lawns and ornamental gardens mess with our water in three ways?
1. They require a lot of water to stay green during a typical summer
2. Fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides run off lawns into our streams and ponds
3. Many ornamental plants are invasive in our region, choking out natives and clogging up our water
Less water + more pollutants + aggressive invasives = worse water quality!
Native plants and golden lawns are trending because their beauty lasts. Native plants are able to handle the droughts we experience here in Massachusetts, and they thrive in our soils without the help of chemical fertilizers. Letting your lawn go golden can be a badge of honor — showing everyone that you prefer thriving fish, turtles, otters, cattails, marsh grasses, and herons (we could go on) over mowing once a week.
Show Us Your Lawn!
After a hot, dry summer, we want to see YOUR lawns! Has the recent rain made new buds pop and flowers flower? Share your wonderful, weird, green or golden lawns and yards. Submit your photos by either tagging us on Instagram or emailing us. We’ll select random winners who receive an IRWA SWAG BAG.
THE FINE PRINT:
All submissions must be of plants or lawns that have only been watered by rain or collected rainwater (e.g. from a rain barrel). Please include your town and any details of your yard or plants that you’d like to share. By submitting a photo you give permission to the Ipswich River Watershed Association to use the photos. Swag bag includes various IRWA goodies that are perfect to take with you out on a paddle at our headquarters. Please submit photos by August 31st.