Grass is a Glorified Groundcover

Like most homeowners, we have a lawn.  It's pretty big, even though I expand the beds each year.  Slowly but surely, I'm chipping away at it.  We do not have a lush, green, carpet.  Nope, sorry.  It's a mix of grass and "weeds."  We just don't care to pour pesticides on our patch of green or water it when it goes brown and dormant.  It's groundcover, not a full time project.  Fortunately, our neighbors tolerate our quirky mix of Kentucky bluegrass, crab grass, violets, dandelions, creeping Charlie, clover, and whatever other green things have wandered in.  I'm getting rather fond of the barren strawberries that have gained a toehold in the back corner.  We mow, of course, but pretty high and we mulch the clippings. 

About three years ago we forgot to do the spring weed and feed.  That summer we got some nifty bugs.  So, we did away with the weed and feed to see what would happen.  I'll yank out the thistle that grows from last winter's birdseed by hand.  Each year we have more interesting beetles, bugs and spiders, and more birds.  These things are much more important to us than a perfect lawn.

Isn't he pretty?