Keep Off the Grass!

UK conservationists have expressed concern that, a recent trend to replace garden lawns with plastic alternatives (as is common in parched areas of the USA), is likely to have very detrimental effects on our urban wildlife (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/04/growth-in-artificial-lawns-poses-threat-to-british-wildlife-conservationists-warn). These artificial lawns (reportedly used at some prestigious garden exhibitions) will not only alter the drainage of a substantial part of the unbuilt and unfarmed land mass in the UK but, of course, provide no food for insects, molluscs, birds and mammals. I can see the attraction of not having to treat, mow or water the 'green carpet' outside our homes (just like the areas already converted for car parking?) but do hope as many people as possible will keep the grass. It's not only humans that live in towns.