kill your lawn
black dragon press
2024
Milkweed design commissioned by Black Dragon Press as part of their “Kill Your Lawn” t-shirt release. All sales were donated to Rewilding Britain, who work to rewild degraded landscapes throughout England, and Joey Santore of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t to support his work protecting thornscrub and wild peyote habitat in South Texas.
“Kill Your Lawn” has become a widespread slogan used by those who believe lawns should be converted into something more useful to wildlife and people — whether because water and fuel are wasted in maintaining conventional grass lawns, because the space could be used for permaculture and food production, or to support native biodiversity by giving that space back to wild species. The ways we use land have displaced native species that are essential to how the ecosystems around us function. Many insects have co-evolved with specific plants over thousands of years, and they depend on one another for reproduction, pollination, and food. When we fail to dedicate space for these species to thrive, we see negative consequences cascade through the environment, disrupting complex systems that we rely on for our own health.
Milkweed was chosen for this t-shirt because it is well known as a host species for monarchs, whose caterpillars exclusively feed on native milkweed.