Paying Attention

“The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” Henry Miller

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We grow it, we mow it, we walk on it. But how often do we really look at it? How often do we pay attention to those green leaves under our feet? When I think about it, I realize there is so much more to grass than I have imagined.

A blade of grass is simply a blade of grass. But being that simple leaf is enough, if a hoverfly happens to need a place to rest in the sun.

Homeowners tend to keep their lawns trimmed, and their grass cut short. But when grasses grow wild, we can see their whole life cycle, from flower to seed.

Wild grasses create an entire habitat, a world, really, where insects, birds, and mammals live, feed on the seeds, and sometimes on each other.

Fort Edward Grasslands, Washington County, NY

American Goldfinch Eating Grass Seed, Five Rivers EEC, Delmar, NY

Grasshopper on Grass Seed, Shaker Heritage Society, Colonie, NY

Marsh Fly on Grass Seed Stem, Five Rivers EEC, Delmar, NY

Prairie Dog in Grasslands, Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Short-eared Owl Hunting in the Grasslands, Fort Edward, NY

Whether we notice it or not, whether we pay attention to it, or walk on it without a thought, grass is life for many creatures. Both the vast grasslands and the front yards of our neighborhoods, are homes and hiding places for insects. They are food sources for birds and mammals, which in turn provide food for raptors, foxes, and other predators.

Something so lowly as a blade of grass, or a stem of grass seed is quite literally the basis, the ground, the source, of life for so many creatures. It is absolutely “an indescribably magnificent world in itself.”

Moth on Grass Seed, Albany Pine Bush Preserve