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It ’s a attention-getting thought that ’s pull a bunch of gardeners , butNo Mow Mayisn’t the best elbow room to help pollinators . Find out what gardeners can do or else to back bee and the ecosystem all year - round .
Want to know the enigma to a thriving garden?Grow a diverse selection of flora .
Rethinking No Mow May
As spring approach each yr in parts of the northerly hemisphere , the yearly buzz ( pun intend ) around No Mow May begins again . The estimation behind the campaign is simple : by sustain off on cut down our lawns for the calendar month of May , we allow early flowers — likedandelions , which are commonly mowed down — to blossom and provide nectar and pollen forbees and other pollinators .
If May does n’t quite describe up with your local clime , you could accommodate the concept to a different other spring month . But the name “ No Mow May ” has pose .
It ’s a memorable soundbite root in good intent , but for those of us in Canada and United States , it is improbable to deliver the ecologic benefits we ’re hoping for .
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The Roots of No Mow May
No Mow May began in 2020 as a campaign by Plantlife , a UK preservation organisation focused on wild plants and fungus . It was inspire by their early “ Every Flower Counts ” project , where people surveyed 1 m x 1 m section of lawn to count the blossom develop there .
The thought was that , with meadow and pastures vanish , even the lowly lawn could become a mini - home ground for pollinators — if pay the chance .
Plantlife ’s early datum was promising : the mean UK lawn , left unmowed , could acquire enough nectar sugar to plunk for over 1,000 dearest bee per day . Clover and dandelions overstep the list of nectar - producing flowers .
No Mow May quickly spread beyond the UK . In Appleton , Wisconsin , city council approved a local version of the initiative in 2020 . Two university professors and a team of volunteers conducted a study on bee population during the calendar month . The initial results expect with child — more bees and more bee species on the unmowed lawns .
But the field was later debunked . A bee expert from the University of Minnesota pointed out that some of the species describe could n’t possibly have been there in May . It claim over two years , but the paper was eventually retracted — long after it had already been cited wide in media and other research .
That said , there ’s still square grounds from other studies that frequent , near mowing can harm insects , ground life , and biodiversity . Most of those studies did n’t focalize on residential lawn , and almost none explore the impact of simply pausing pout for a few week . But there ’s enough to suggest that not mowing for a calendar month could offer at least some benefit .
associate : Want Lots of Pollinators ? Grow a Diverse Selection of plant
So, What Actually Happens If You Don’t Mow?
If you stop pout for a month , you ’ll likely see some heyday look — mostly the one we unremarkably call weed . Dandelions will be the standout , joined by clover and maybe a few others . These flowers do volunteer nectar and pollen , which is something a impudently mowed lawn ca n’t match .
But does that mean you ’re “ saving the bees ” ?
Not quite .
Dandelions are indeed an former food informant for pollinators — but they ’re far from the only one , sure enough not the first of the season , and they ’re not the best .
Dandelion pollen , in particular , miss key nutrients . bee do n’t do well if it ’s all they have . gratefully , there are usually other pollen sources available to fill in the gap .
The existent progeny is the effrontery that if you stop mowing , you ’ll get a lush , wild flower - filled hayfield . In some region , maybe . In most places , you ’ll just end up with recollective grass and a lot of dandelion — or , spoiled , grovel charlie . It wo n’t look like a meadow . It ’ll look like a yard no one ’s take care of .
And when the calendar month is over , pout that tall grass can stress both your lawn and lawn mower . cut off more than a third of a plant at once — whether it ’s a shrub or your sess — can cause damage . Your lawn may bounce back , but it wo n’t be thrilled .
Related : Why Dandelions Are Misunderstood ( Whether You Like Them or Not )
The Real Issue with No Mow May
No Mow May might deliver a niggling bit of ambrosia and pollen to local pollinators . You ’ll save some time , and if you use a gas lawn mower or pesticides , ingest a break from those is a good thing .
But then what ?
That ’s the problem . The benefits are short - lived . A few extra flowers in May wo n’t support bee and butterflies through the eternal rest of the time of year .
And the clean up after May may cancel out any fuel savings .
For gardener , this is where No Mow May falls short — because we can do so much better .
Related : How To Use Fall leave To Improve Your Garden
Better Than No Mow May
If you ’re already planting things in your garden , you could opt a divers selection of plants that defend wildlife by offering pollen , nectar , protection , and habitat all class long — not just for a few weeks .
Look for an assortment of native or well - adapted plant that provide blooms from early spring to fall . Local preservation agencies and theNorth American Native Plant Societyare helpful resources .
Even non - gardeners can serve by mowing less often and with the lawn mower blade define higher . Both of those modest changes can reduce befoulment and increase biodiversity — probably minimally , but better than nothing . And of course of instruction , ditch the pesticides .
Related : How to Replace Lawn With Wildflower Seed Mix
Want to go a step further?
Turn part of your lawn into a pollinator garden . This has lead to warm loath neighbour to the approximation .
We ’ve been working on all these things for several years now . We ’ve removed a majority of our lawn and halt unnecessary seasonal “ clean up . ” That , along withstarting one C of native plant from seed , has reduce the work payload and increased the natural beauty and wildlife .
Even if you ’re not ready to take out your lawn , you could still choose plants for your garden that are far more beneficial than a few dandelions in May .
Related:20 Native Plants you could Grow From Cuttings
In the End
The principle behind No Mow May is dead on target : flowers are better than a mowed lawn for pollinators . Even common mourning band can propose some value .
If we in truth require to confirm pollinator , we have to reckon beyond one month — and beyond dandelions . Gardeners are far more creative than simply parking the lawn mower for a few week .
No Mow May has help oneself raise awareness , but in practice , it ’s only a small measure . We have the tool , the cognition , and the creativity to go much further .
touch : Where Native Bees expend the Winter ( & How Gardeners Can Help )
Resources
Might your neighbors object?This shares how to warm up them up to the idea .
Native Plants
Book
A Garden For The Rusty - Patched Bumblebee
by Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla
A Garden for the Rusty - Patched Bumblebeeprovides all the selective information nurseryman need to take activeness to tolerate and protect pollinators , by produce home ground in yards and community infinite , on balcony and boulevard , everywhere !
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~Melissathe Empress of Dirt ♛
