Homeowner shares photo of heartwarming scene in wintry backyard: 'An invaluable resource'

A homeowner shared a photo of their yard in winter and made a clear distinction about the plants sticking out of the snow: they're not weeds.

On Reddit, they posted a photo of a bird perched in a dried-out-looking plant, but they clarified in their caption, "There are no weeds in my yard. Those are bird feeders."

They added in the comments that they are located in Northeast Kansas and that there are "always a lot of birds anytime there is snow on the ground."

Weeds get a bad reputation, but they can be beneficial in a variety of ways to your yard and garden. Allowing certain weeds to grow throughout the winter can improve soil health and prevent erosion, according to House Digest. 

And other weeds, including dandelion and chickweed, can have the same effects  throughout the year, adding nitrogen to the soil, preventing soil from being compacted, and providing shade, per Martha Stewart's gardening advice.

They can also attract wildlife, especially pollinators like birds and bees. Pollinators play a key role in the life cycle of thousands of plants, especially crops. Per the University of Maryland's gardening blog, native plants support 29 times more wildlife diversity than non-native species. 

Some weeds can be invasive and outcompete other plants for resources, which is why it's so important to focus on planting native species in your yard. 

Native plant lawns and gardens are much easier to maintain, requiring less water and less maintenance than their counterparts. They also need fewer chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides than a typical monoculture or non-native yard, improving the health of the soil, air, and water around your home. 

There are multiple ways to embrace native plants, including letting your yard grow wild again and become almost like a meadow, using plants like clover and buffalo grass for ground cover, and employing techniques like xeriscaping that prioritize saving water. 

Redditors in the comments were in full support of the homeowner's stance on allowing so-called "weeds" to thrive in their yard.

Would you be willing to let your yard grow wild? I already have 😎 Yes 👍 I'm not sure 🤷 No way 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"What is a weed to a human is an invaluable resource to animals. It's all about perspective," one person wrote.

Another added, "Only a weed if you don't want it. I have no weeds on my property either."

One Redditor emphasized, "As long as they are locally-appropriate native species, yes!"

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