Janet and Jeff don't know which flower or plant pushed their neighbor over the edge, and he has complained about the state of their yard many times.
The scarlet bee balm may have attracted the hummingbirds. The monarch butterflies lay their eggs in the swamp milkweed. Maybe it was the native flowers that fed the birds.
In the fall of 2017, a lawyer for the homeowner association sent a letter to the Crouches telling them to rip out their native plant beds and replace them with grass.
The couple were taken aback. They used native plants to help insects, birds and wildlife thrive in their quiet cul-de-sac. The association told them that their plants were not only in violation of the bye, but also hurt the property values. The letter said that the yard was not the right place for such a habitat.
Sign up for the Climate Forward newsletter, for Times subscribers only. Your must-read guide to the climate crisis.They were given 10 days to make their lawn look like everyone else's. The couple fought back and paved the way for a state law that was the first of its kind.
Traditionalists and environmentalists see lawns as ecological deserts that suck up excessive amounts of water and pesticides. Some 74 million people nationwide are governed by community or homeowner associations.
These associations are supposed to make sure that yards are maintained, but there are questions about what that means.
Mass extinctions are predicted due to human activity, pollution and habitat destruction.
As diplomats from nearly 200 nations meet in Montreal this week to try to hammer out an agreement to stop hundreds of species from disappearing, homeowners in the United States are increasingly planting native plants.
A small nation is making diplomatic moves. The nation of Vanuatu has a population of over 300,000 people. The president wants the International Court of Justice to weigh in on whether nations are legally bound to protect themselves against climate risks.
There is a transition to renewable energy. According to the International Energy Agency, there will be double the amount of renewable power in the world in the next five years. Coal is expected to be the biggest source of electricity generation by early 2025, according to the agency.
The Saudi plan. Despite the scientific consensus that the world must move away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst consequences of global warming, Saudi Arabia is using lobbying, research funding and diplomatic activity to keep oil at the center of the world economy.
Climate threats in the U.S. The effects of climate change are already far-reaching and worsening throughout the United States, posing risks to virtually every aspect of society. The United States has warmed more quickly than the rest of the world over the past 50 years.
In 2020 there was a 50 percent increase in the number of people creating wildlife gardens. In 2020, Taylor Morrison, a major homebuilding company, is partnering with the National Wildlife Federation to plant native species in its communities nationwide.
The homeowner associations' primary interest is to protect home values by ensuring a consistent appearance across property lines. House paint colors can be dictated by associations.
Thanks to the Crouches, homeowner associations can't force residents to have lawns.
The couple moved to a clutch of homes near the park. The decision to stop using pesticides andfertilizer deepened their connection with their small plot of land, which backs onto some woods.
Mrs. Crouch works for the US Department of Health and Human Services. The couple began adding indigenous and pollinator-friendly plants at the request of their sister. Mr. Crouch would go to the garden after work to see how the plants were doing and give flowers to the kids who stopped to look at it.
As their garden grew, Daniel O'Rourke was angry. The couple would later contest Mr. O'Rourke's complaints about the yard being overgrown with weeds, figurines and barrels filled with rain water. Themess of a jungle next door made Mr. O'Rourke unable to enjoy his own property.
After the Crouches filed a lawsuit, Mr. O'Rourke did not respond to calls or emails. A person for the homeowner association wouldn't speak.
The Crouches had no idea something wasn't right. They waved from the driveway and lent him their ladder, even though they weren't friends with him.
Mr. O'Rourke said that the Crouches' yard was attracting rodents, deer, snakes and bats, and that they were planting shrubs and bushes in a disorganized fashion.
After the homeowner association sent the Crouches a letter saying their yard was in need of seasonal maintenance, they received a cease and desist letter from the association. The lawyer for the association wrote that if they didn't change their yard back to a "neat, clean" lawn, they would face fines or worse.
One third of the country's 135 million acres of residential landscaping are lawns.
The author of the book "Nature's Best Hope" said that because so much property in the US is privately owned, owners had to be enlisted to grow native plants. The entire planet is being destroyed by the idea that humans and nature can't coexist. There is only one way to move forward.
Giving in was not an option for them. They contacted every wildlife and environmental group in the country, along with local legislators. They filed a complaint in Howard County Circuit Court after a year and a half of not being able to reach an agreement with the homeowner association. There was a claim that they had been told there was no problem with their gardens in 2011.
The principles are larger than we are. We had a chance and an obligation to see it through.
After the Crouches filed their complaint, a Maryland state representative asked if they would allow their case to form the basis of a new environmental law.
There were devastating floods in Maryland, including the submersion of Ellicott City. The bill was drafted to prevent homeowner associations from banning pollinator plants or rain gardens.
Dozens of states have passed legislation to promote the health of pollinators, which include bees, wasp, bats and butterflies, while some have curbed the authority of homeowner association edicts during the dry season.
Mary Catherine Cochran is a Democrat who co-sponsored the legislation that limits homeowner association control over eco-friendly yards. The measure gained bipartisan support and was passed with unanimity.
Dr. Hill said it was a small effort that needed to be done. It's nice that people in the community feel like they have the power to make a difference.
The settlement was reached in December 2020. The Crouches were able to keep virtually all of their garden intact, but agreed to remove some of their plants and replace them with native Pennsylvania sedge.
They had a fight. When a part of a tree fell in Jeff and his wife's yard, they left it there for animals to use as habitat. Jon and Emma were able to point to the law after their homeowner association objected to weeds in their lawn which they kept mowed but pesticide free. It is crazy how ingrained turf grass is. That doesn't have to be the case.
They say the $60,000 in lawyers fees was worth it. With the new law behind them, the Crouches let their dead flowers stand. Mr. Crouch woke up in November and found six birds on the stalks.
The ecologist said thatMaryland was a big deal. People can win if they fight back.
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