When Raccoons Dig
A Simple Shift Toward Balance
Visiting with my niece in Saline, she told me that her (large) backyard is getting torn up. This morning, I meditated on a solution that would be a win-win.
When raccoons tear up a lawn, it feels like something has gone wrong. What’s really happening is simple: grubs are living in the soil, and raccoons are coming for an easy meal. Nature responding to abundance.
She could press the turf back down and let them finish their work. That’s one answer.
But there’s another—one that changes the conditions that created the problem in the first place.
Not by doing more.
But by shifting the yard.
A Shift: Less Lawn, More Life
Instead of trying to fix the entire lawn, she can begin by reducing small sections and creating planted “islands.”
These islands can be simple:
A curved bed with a few native shrubs
A cluster of flowering perennials
Over time, these areas do something important.
They break up the monoculture that grubs love.
They invite birds, including hummingbirds, into the yard—not just passing through, but staying.
And they begin to shift the soil itself.
And her backyard becomes an oasis of sound and sight of birds.
What to Plant
She loves birds—especially hummingbirds:
Bee balm
Cardinal flower
Serviceberry
Ninebark
Even one small island can begin to change the rhythm of the yard. More birdsongs, more pollinators engage in work that benefits all of us.
Why This Helps
As these planted areas grow:
The soil becomes more biologically active
Moisture is held differently
Diversity increases
Grub outbreaks become less likely over time
And just as importantly—
The yard begins to feel less like something to fix…
and more like something to belong to.