SWAMPSCOTT, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) – A sea of color and beautiful chaos is how Aurelio D'Amico describes his well-manicured yard turned garden of wildflowers.
The North Shore man replaced his lawn with the chaotic garden after learning about the declining number of pollinators in Massachusetts — and to avoid mowing his grass. Pollinators are agents that help plants reproduce by spreading pollen to flowers of the same species.
According to Mass Audubon, many species of pollinators are experiencing a deep decline due to climate change, agricultural intensification and habitat degradation, pesticides, pathogens and a declining number of native flowering plants. Populations of bumblebees, who pollinate a majority of non-grain crops, have also declined by over 90% on the east coast in the past 30 years. D'Amico is doing his part to rectify the issue.
"I decided to rip everything up and I looked into what were the native flowers that naturally are occurring in this area or should be if there weren't lawns everywhere. And I ordered those seeds and planted," said D'Amico.
The wide variety of greenery attracts visitors of all kinds.
"I'm 54 years old. Never saw a hummingbird in my entire life until I planted this garden. Now I've seen four or five of them every year," remarked D'Amico.
The yard is filled with a plethora of herbage including Black-eyed Susans, Blue Corn flowers and Orange Poppies. The myriad of colors are a draw for everyone in the neighborhood, including D'Amico.
"It makes me want to look at the yard, right. Because before it was just a lawn and now, I come home and there will be yellow flowers, purple, blue. And some of the yellows will disappear and oranges will come in. Just various pops of color."
WBZ NewsRadio’s Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.