By: Gloria Wilson
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| The maidengrass gasps for water in my Dad's front lawn. Maidengrass is considered invasive in the South. |
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| A pile of dead leaves sits on a stone pit, waiting to be burned. My dad burns tree clippings every month in order to declutter the lawn. |
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| My Dracanea Trifasciata, or snake plant, plant sits rigidly in its white pot. |
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| This holly bush sits smugly after poking me. Holly has rigid leaves towards the bottom of the plant to prevent it from being eaten |
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| A white mushroom sits snugly in the grass. It has been raining here frequently so this mushroom is one of tens. |
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| This moss reaches for the sky extending for the sun. This type of moss is called pleurocarpous moss which means it spreads out on the ground like carpet. |
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| This English ivy winds up it's stone wall of support. English Ivy is also considered an invasive species. |
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| English ivy can grow upward when supported. Otherwise its vines grow outwards and starts to droop. |
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| The ivy winds crawls up an oak tree on the side that faces the sun. Ivy boosts air purification and it is also an antioxidant. |
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| A leave sits dying after being eaten by an insect. The bites make an intricate lacy pattern. |
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| This plant fell victim to the insects long before its counterpart. The brown, brittle leaves are starting to break away. |
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| This variegated liriope droops down in the blistering Georgia heat. This plant is also called the weeping sedge. |
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| A small black ant crawls next to a fallen leaf. Little does he know my dad bought ant exterminator today. |
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| A black ant camouflages itself into the dirty concrete. It is making its way to it's colony is nearby. |
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| This dollar weed sprawls across the front lawn. Dollarweed is an invasive species and very common in southwest Georgia. |
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| A single sprig of dollarweed sits up in a mossy area. The moss enriches the soil for the dollar weed. |
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| A photo of dollarweed, moss and maidengrass. All of these plants are very common in the South. |
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| A hole for a small animal sits in a mossy nook. We have holes like these all over the backyard. |
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| The basketball hoop I grew up shooting with sits under the oak trees in my front yard. The trees provide some shade when we play basketball in the middle of the day. |
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| The moss looks especially green after rain. Moss can actually absorb toxins from soil making it beneficial to all lawns. |
