Dennis Moriarty, 80, planted 1,500 square feet of wildflowers in front of his home to attract pollinators. Now he faces a city citation and and a possible court date if he doesn’t trim the garden back.
Dennis Moriarty’s yard overflows with milkweed, coneflowers and other native wildflowers designed to draw hummingbirds, bees and other pollinators. The greenery spills over retaining walls and creates a lush tunnel when a visitor walks up the steps to his home.
Kansas City has ordered him to mow it down.
Moriarty says he was shocked when he was given a warning last Wednesday for violating a city code that prohibits the overgrowth of “rank weeds and noxious plants.”
So he decided to sow some social media seeds. When he tweeted that his pollinator garden could land him in Kansas City Housing Court, he got the attention of not just pollinators, but politicians and those who advocate for native plants.
“If everyone did this, you know how many bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to this?” Moriarty says. “Their (city) code isn’t realistic in the first place.”
The 80-year-old U.S. Army veteran says his yard is so steep, he wasn’t able to continue mowing it. So in April 2020, he covered the 1,500 square feet with plastic to kill the grass. Then this year, he planted wildflower seeds, which quickly bloomed.
