Suburban Wastelands
/At least a few mornings a week, we go for neighborhood walks. We live in the suburbs, so it’s mostly single-family homes and landscaped yards, but when we pay attention, we find there’s plenty of nature around us. Our favorite spots are areas the county property appraiser’s office designates as “Wasteland/Marsh”. I find it sad that areas lacking commercial value are labeled “wastelands”, but for the critters in our area, I’m happy they have these spaces.
We visit places like the “nature preserve” around the corner. It’s an overgrown runoff pond in our neighborhood, full of trees and underbrush. This “preserve” appeared after years of neglect by the surrounding owners who are responsible for its upkeep. And while some neighbors are mad about it, I kind of love that we have this fenced area of “protected forest” for the birds and critters to live undisturbed. When we walk by, I always stop and listen for any new birds that have moved in or are visiting the neighborhood. Once upon a time this area also used to be a haven for stray cats, but given their decline in population over the years, I think I know why the red-shouldered hawks hang out in our neighborhood.
There’s also our “walking path”, another “wasteland/marsh” separating two subdivisions that back up to each other. It’s on the side of the street without a sidewalk, where bunnies and turtles, birds, and other critters live. Throughout the seasons we have found and learned the names of several wildflowers, weeds, and invasive plants that grow in this area.
Finally, we have “Duck Pond” and “Gallinule Pond”, two runoff ponds in a neighboring subdivision. One is named for all the ducks in the area that start and end their days there, and the other is named for the gallinules that we saw for the first time ever.
Low-key they may be, but given the current state of the world and the need to stick close to home, I'm grateful for these neighborhood walks and our suburban wastelands.
