Homeowner With 'Wild' Yard Doubles Down After Persistent Neighbor Files Dozens of Complaints
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A homeowner is winning fans online for her "little act of rebellion" after a disgruntled neighbor complained about her yard.
User tawnyfritz explained on Reddit this week that her yard was "wild," by which she means, "Living or growing in the natural environment."
On the Wild Side
The original poster (OP) and her husband cultivate native species that are drought resistant, including numerous wildflowers, and they include elements like driftwood logs to retain water.
"There are a plethora of birds, bees, bunnies and other wildlife," the OP wrote.
"More wildlife than any yard in the area, as far as I can tell. It's beautiful and alive, but definitely not a manicured lawn with perfectly cut grass and landscaping."
Her neighbor, however, did not seem to share her enthusiasm for natural plants.
File image: Wildlife in a garden.
File image: Wildlife in a garden.
Photo by Clive Nichols / Getty Images
According to the user, they received a notice that they were in violation of a local ordinance.
When her husband called the county, he "Got a very 'over it' employee who let out a big sigh and said he had gotten like 30 complaints from one person for the entire strip of road that we live on."
In an message to Newsweek, the OP said she wasn't sure which neighbor filed the complaints.
"I'm not sure if it was a direct neighbor, or someone who drives down the road that borders our house and was bothered by the wildness," she said.
However, the homeowner wasn't ready to give up easily. She took steps to get her yard qualified as a National Wildlife Habitat.
"I checked the county ordinance and made sure everything we had in our yard was in compliance," she wrote.
"Things like 'purposely cultivated,' which our wildflowers definitely were. We planted specific species of seeds and we remove whatever's not native.
"None of the wild plants block any sidewalks nor do they hang over onto any other properties... I filled out the form, paid the fee and got my certificate."
When her husband called the "over it" employee, he was grateful and asked to be sent the certificate.
"I now have signs on my yard that announce the property as a wildlife habitat and the birds and bees get to keep living happily in the wild," the OP wrote.
'How cool your yard is'
Reddit pundits were generally supportive of the homeowner's actions, amid more than 900 comments over two days.
"Good for you! Both the malicious compliance specifically and for maintaining a wildlife habitat in general," an individual cheered.
"Those look better than any flat plot of grass any day of the week."
A fellow Redditor was one among many asking to see images of, "How cool your yard is."
Meanwhile an individual recalled a report by NPR earlier about a woman in Arizona who pulled up her grass and return her yard to a native desert condition.
"She was told by the county to 'remove that trash' and plant a green lawn. She took her fight to city hall and eventually won," the individual noted.
'Ahead of your time'
A fellow Redditor, meanwhile, wrote that they would love to be neighbors with the OP, sharing that they own beehives.
"I ripped up about a little over a third of my front lawn last year to remake it into a pollinator garden. I think lawns are stupid. What's left is literally probably 10 feet long and 4 feet wide, [laugh out loud].
"But other neighbors around us are doing the same thing. They're sick of taking care of a lawn, they love our bees, we pass honey out to them each year, and they are planting pollinator gardens all over the neighborhood!
"So honestly, you're just ahead of your time."
'Rewarding in ways I never imagined'
The homeowner told Newsweek she was thrilled that so many people online were excited by the idea of wild yards.
"Having a natural lawn is rewarding in ways I never imagined," she said.
"We get rare birds on our bird feeders and we've even had ravens stop by. The birds eat bugs in the yard and we've watched nature play out in fascinating ways.
"We once had a stoat hanging out for about two weeks!"
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