What Ever Happened

Copyright © Michael Sebastian

I came across these photos by Michael Sebastian about a month ago and they instantly clicked with me. I mean who can’t relate to these in some way? Every day I drive to my university I pass by developments like this: McMansions with perfectly manicured lawns in perfectly structured communities of noveau-riche families. I don’t believe Mr. Sebastian is dissing suburban life and he told as me much through email, but there is a fascination with the perfection and plasticity that beholds such developments and he captured this in a unique way. I do believe these photos make a strong statement about so many things that perhaps haven’t been fully realized yet.

For example, I recently did an environmental story on the decrease in the bee population for my Enterprise Journalism class and found out that housing developments like these are the most detrimental to bees. Manicured lawns are like a wasteland to the bee population and the more that these types of communities continue to spring up, the less we will see of bees. By the way, when was the last time anyone you knew was stung by a bee? I haven’t seen one in ages, I can remember when I was little and how we were always warned about being stung. I haven’t heard anyone say such a thing in a very long time.

I’m beginning to think of tidy front lawns as the ultimate sign of sterility, a place where no pollinator would care to go. Why would they? A well-tended lawn offers little, if any, food for pollinators.

Pollinators are the mops of our environment. Whatever we pour into, spray on and sprinkle around our yards will eventually find its way into the pollen these valuable creatures collect, feed to their young and depend upon for survival.

– Jennifer Wood, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Copyright © Michael Sebastian

Sebastian’s photos are special in that he recorded something authentically American and also something that may be a relic in a hundred years. One can easily imagine a time in the not-too-distant future when many of these developments will have to be torn down to save our natural wildlife. They may be turned into conservation areas where weeds, flowers and trees can grow freely as an inviting oasis for all native creatures to flourish once again. If that does happen, it would be an interesting juxtaposition to these photos.