Grass cutting is not considered essential services. That is why grass patches, fields, play areas and roadside verges hadn’t been attended to since the lockdown, or as we call it here, the 'Circuit Breaker'. Hence, we are seeing grasses and weeds growing wild, popping up all over the place.
What interests me about these weeds since noticing them along my walk route and path is that they are actually quite pleasing to the eyes. As weeds, perhaps they are a nuisance in a garden, but in the wild, they, like a lot of other weeds, are fighting for a place to grow, and to survive.
The flowers of the weeds are quite nice – all sorts of colours in a background of green. They add colour and life to the surrounding. I found myself loving them, and wishing them well, for I know that they won’t be around for long. A phrase that came to mind a lot recently during my walks is that when you look at things with beauty in your eyes, you see beauty in the things you looked at. These are beautiful things indeed.
There is also a noticeable increase in butterflies, dragon flies, and grasshoppers. This has prompted nature lovers to take to social media to propose a reduction in grass-cutting to help ‘wildlife proliferate.’ There was also talk that perhaps “the neat, image-conscious city-state” should make wilder green spaces a permanent feature after the Circuit Breaker is lifted.
Nature lovers put forward that the benefits of more natural surroundings are well known. People are less likely to suffer from stress and fall ill. Hence, they are more productive at work and perform better whether at work or in school. Plants also provide natural pollution control, absorbing pollutants from the air. It was also suggested that the wild greenery could also help to keep the temperatures down.
Perhaps, the “Circuit Breaker” lockdown period has been a good time to reflect on how green areas could be managed differently in Singapore. If people come to accept a more natural look and see the value in beautiful insect life, it could become the new normal. Personally, I will be looking out for them on my walks, from here on.
Here are some pictures of the weeds I come across in my area, and during my walk. I do not know their names. The pictures are not clear nor good enough for Google Image to recognize them. Sorry about that. The weeds are small and taking pictures of them at a distance, they will not show up well. If taken close-up, I find that they keep moving in the breeze. Anyway, having a look at the pictures.
This, I think could be a nutsedge. Correct me if I am wrong.
This, I think is Yellow Nutsedge.
These weeds are all scattered along my walk path. I think they are all pretty.
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