As summer approaches and our greenery returns, I discover a new way to help nature along.
As I write this piece, I feel the strong heat scorching my skin – making my back sizzle as I water the garden vigorously and frantically fill bird baths. But one of my best friends has been active lately. A keen gardener, he’s been speaking a lot about something called “no mow may”. The more I hear him talk about it, the more interested I become.
What is no mow may?
Wild plant conservation charity Plantlife started the No Mow May campaign in 2019 to encourage garden owners to put their lawnmower away and let wildflowers grow during the month of May. No Mow May itself is the process of not mowing your lawn between the months of May and June to encourage flowering plants that usually exist within a lawn naturally such as Clovers, Dandelions and Daisies.
Speaking to him, he told me he began taking part in No Mow May due to an awareness of a decline in native birds that use lawns as a food source and a decline in insects due to lawns being kept short and plants within them not being able to flower. This worrying trend was also spotted by my late Granddad who noticed his garden’s daily bird activity become less and less. In the UK, 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, one of which was in his village. The replacement of this vital food source with tarmac and concrete played its part, as not only did his garden bird population decline but I too, have noticed the decline in insects.
What are the environmental benefits of not mowing your lawn?
The process itself encourages the flowering plants mentioned above which is done so they can be an early food source for pollinators such as bees, particularly solitary bees like leafcutter bees.
When the pollinators emerge from dormancy, the dandelion is the first plant to have flowered that is helpful to them because despite daffodils flowering everywhere, they aren’t useful to bees and only used by them in a real emergency.
Lawns themselves are a home to insect larvae which eat grass roots and not only contribute to the insect population but also provide food for wild birds such as starlings and house sparrows. Mowing lawns short is actually detrimental to the insect population, depriving them of a home and food, which is having a domino effect on wild birds who need insects to feed their chicks who cannot digest seeds. Leaving them to grow will allow the insect population to thrive as well as the bird population and help our pollinators make their contribution to the environment. Alternatively, if you want to stick to the controlled lawn, why not plant some bulbs wildflower seeds to an area of rough soil, or along the border of your lawn? Even in a tub? Adding a perennial salvia, lavender or echinacea plant to a border or tub will instantly bring bees and butterflies. The bulbs and seeds on the rough soil will, over time, grow into a mini-meadow – a haven for pollinators.
Dandelions – an example of a benefit for us humans
Today, our world is in peril. Many catastrophic things are contributing to climate change and having a terrible effect on our environment. But we as people can help in little ways, one of those being not mowing our lawns and providing a home for insects but also food for wild birds and pollinators.
Some may complain about a messy looking lawn, particularly with Dandelions. Dandelions are a plant which many love to hate, seen as a stubborn intruder with its sturdy roots and tendency to spread and dominate other plants. But every part of this plant has benefits for humans as well as insects. The roots, leaves and flowers all have medicinal benefits. These colourful weeds whose demonisation indicates a tendency to look for controlled, aesthetic perfection in the garden give us benefits that will go a long way to help save our environment.
More on lifestyle
