When we purchased our current home, mowing the lawn took about 4.5 hours.  I've always used a self-propelled, walk-behind mower because I like to get some exercise in the process.

Nevertheless, 4.5 hours was too big of a time commitment.

I talked it over with my wife, and we decided it would be good to return a large part of the lawn to a more natural state.  Goal was to remove the sod and put in wildflowers.  The area we picked was on a slope so it wasn't usable as lawn anyway.

Next, I called City Hall and was told that as long as no neighbor objected, it was okay with municipal ordinances.  Just to be sure, I visited every neighbor who would be able to see the area and asked if he or she minded.  None did.

Wild Area Wide View

I left a barrier of about six feet of mowed grass--a collar--around what we came to call the "Wild Area" and hired a man with a small tractor to remove the sod.  He also supplied some boulders.  We hauled the sod to the recycling center ourselves, and it took many trips but finally we were ready to spread Meadow In A Can seed.  I would have preferred wildflower seeds from our specific area--Waukesha County, Wisconsin--but the price was high, about $1,500 for the amount we needed.

Now about 20 years later, our Wild Area looks natural and attracts a lot of birds, small mammals, and insects.  Bees and butterflies love it.  One day I even saw a fox under the evergreens.

The martin house has only attracted sparrows...but they seem like a happy bunch and have never complained that it isn't a true sparrow house.

Neighbors haven't complained either, and we've received some nice comments from people.

Click on either of the accompanying photos for a larger image.

Wild Area Close View