Why You Should Think Before Mowing Your Lawn

 by Sophie Reeve-Foster

No Mow May was a Plantlife campaign asking anyone with a lawn to stop mowing over the month to provide much needed nectar for bees and other pollinators. By now most of us know how important bees are and the mowing of lawns means they have far fewer opportunities for pollination and survival in the long term. One 3 acre meadow can house 9 million flowers, which can support half a million bees every day. 

 

A month without mowing gives typical garden grass a bit of fun volume and may is the time where many wild flowers have a chance to grow. You still have time before the end of May to help some insects, and if not, look into the #LetItBloomJune campaign.

 

Councils who joined the campaign (in theory) left road verges and parks to grow, producing an unexpectedly large range of flowers. So, if you want to help some bees, leave your little strip of grass in front of your house wild and free, or maybe try cutting a path into your garden and leaving the rest of it to flourish. For motivation, here are some photos from a garden centre visit.