Sidewalk and Easements

The easements, the narrow strips of grass between the street and the sidewalk, are ecologically similar to the main lawn, except that the edges are more significant. Trash cans and heavy trash are placed there now and then. The dominant groundcover is St. Augustine grass, which competes with clovers and other forbs.

The sidewalk is mostly concrete. The live oak's roots have made it uneven vertically, and cracks have allowed small plants to take root. From mid-spring to mid-fall, I occasionally edge the sidewalk and pull out grass and forbs along the edge. Over time, rain washes sediment from the main lawn onto the sidewalk, which accumulates along the edges.

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My property extends about 10 feet to the west of the driveway. Most of the easement and sidewalk in this photo are part of the western neighbor's property.

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On October 19, 2014, some annual aster was flowering in the northern corner of the west easement, where the sidewalk meets the driveway.

On May 1, 2017, I took pictures of German cockroach nymphs and other small insects crossing the sidewalk from the main lawn to the easement. In the process, I noticed what appeared to be small patches of lichen on the concrete.