American Savanna is a reflective essay on the relationship between humans and nature that asks a very simple question: Why do we love our lawns so much? The answer is more complex than you might think. It involves anthropological, social, historical and even psychoanalytic components. It tells us something about our culture—and that of the curious plant we’ve been living with for hundreds of years. The lawn, that trim, domesticated, perfect stretch of green, is tied to our need to control nature and ’twas ever thus.