Retrospect: ants in the lawn

Self-tutoring about a lawn at one of my childhood homes: the tutor reflects…

The place we lived where my father took most interest in the yard was in the Annapolis Valley. No surprise: It was a beautiful property, with big front and back yards. Moreover, the front and back yards were quite different from each other.

The front yard was really three: there was a level part in front of the house, with a thick lawn. Next, it had a downward slope, about twice the size of the level area above it. Finally, a broad plain spread out from the slope bottom: the plain was the largest section of the front yard.

Starting from age 11, I mowed the yard, which took almost three hours. Therefore, I noticed that the grass fared much better in some parts than others. In fact, the lawn grew lushly in most areas. Where it did the worst, surprisingly, was the bottom plain, which should have been were the water drained to, and also where the soil would be best. Yet, down there, the lawn was thick with anthills and dandelions.

There were big maple trees that grew on the bottom plain. I’ve recently read that ants like sugar, and wonder if those maples cast off sweet sap, so attracted the ants. That plain was very dry, which some people said was because the ants’ nests and tunnels dried out the soil there. Perhaps the resulting dryness of the soil depressed the grass, giving the dandelions the advantage.

Source:

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