In England, some gardeners choose not to mow their lawn. A decision that aims to promote the conservation of biodiversity, as this time of year is most suitable as a food source for pollinating insects.
“No mower in May” † This is the slogan of the campaign organized by the English NGO “Plantlife”. But what’s the point of not mowing your lawn in the fifth month of the year? Allow wild plants to thrive and provide nectar for pollinating insects, especially bees. “When it comes to providing essential nectar and pollen for insects, every flower counts. And your lawn can contribute to this party”states the association.
Plantlife conducts an annual “Every Flower Counts” (EFC) survey, which helps document how the British manage their gardens. In 2021, 78.8% of the 2,157 respondents did not mow their lawn in May, an increase of 33.6% compared to 2019, notes the NGO.
100 square meters of uncut lawn: a precious treasure
But why the month of May? Precisely because this is the time of year when flowers produce nectar, essential for the survival of bees, bumblebees and other pollinating insects. Failure to mow your lawn at this time of year will provide a food source for these foragers and therefore an excellent way to conserve biodiversity.
According to Plantlife, “An area of 100 square meters of uncut lawn would produce enough pollen to support six mining bee brood cells and enough nectar to meet the needs of six bumblebees a day”†
But it is also the perfect opportunity to discover new plants. According to the research “Every flower counts” over 250 species of wild plants have been recorded in UK gardens last year: wild strawberries, wild garlic… But also rarer species such as goose-tongue fern, meadow saxifrage or euphorbia.
After May, those with a yard or lawn are encouraged to: mow their lawn less often all summer and preferably leave at least part of their yard intact. Basically, we don’t mow in May, we grow it in June and we mow reasonably well in the summer!
(ETX Daily Up)