Aaron, our owner and founder, absolutely loves nature. He has spent most of his life studying the plants, bugs, and all the other little creatures that make up a healthy ecosystem!

After spending three years managing a research-oriented greenhouse, Aaron collaborates with state parks and other nature-focused outfits to educate, promote, and emphasize the importance of biodiversity. Before any of that, though, Aaron spotted a big issue - the sudden disappearance of bees, butterflies, and other important insects in the Tennessee Valley.

Many of these insects rely on plants that are typically considered undesirable weeds. Plants like milkweed, native bluestem grasses, and bush asters are all commonly removed from yards and gardens, but they’re incredibly important! They actually provide both food and shelter for the monarch butterflies, fireflies, and native bees Aaron saw disappearing! With his knowledge, it was easy to see the connection - monarchs will only lay eggs on milkweed species, fireflies rely on tall native grass for shelter, and native bees nest in the hollow stems left behind by bush asters.

Everything in our environment is interconnected, and our idea of a “nice lawn” is typically a manicured, uniform grass lawn, devoid of these species - planted with grass often not even native to the Tennessee Valley area!

Aaron is not the first person to promote natural landscaping, but he is indeed one of the strongest voices in our area for doing so. Natural lawns have so many benefits, and often the biggest hurdle to adoption is - you guessed it - education.

So, we educate!

We want to provide information on our website, blogs, and social media, continually promoting the message and the benefits of a natural lawn. It’s part of our mission here at Foraging Ahead - to Bring Your Home into Harmony with the ecosystem.