That’s what we are being asked to do by Plantlife, who strive for lasting positive change for wild flowers, plants and fungi, for their #NoMowMay campaign.
No Mow May encourages us to park the lawnmower and let the wild flowers in our lawns freely bloom to provide welcome habitats for pollinators. Wild flowers provide a vital food source for bees and butterflies, who, with numbers in decline, need all the help they can get. Plants need pollinators and with their numbers falling too, this campaign addresses the vital need for us to take action and help nature recover.
Gardens have huge potential to provide sanctuaries for wildlife and provide a patchwork of connected corridors for wildlife to travel through. There are over 15 million gardens in the UK covering an area greater than all the National Nature Reserves put together, so we really can make a big difference to wildlife by taking some pretty small steps such as this one - not mowing our lawns for just one month of the year.
By leaving the lawn to flourish for a four-week period, smaller plants such as clover, daises, dandelions and selfheal have the space to flower and to give pollinators a real boost. More and more people are embracing the idea of letting their lawns or small areas within their gardens grow wild and the rewards for doing so are rich. Last year’s campaign saw records of bee orchids, snake’s-head fritillaries and eyebrights growing up through unmown lawns so it’s exciting to see what might appear in 2022!
At the end of No Mow May, Plantlife welcomes participants to sign up for their Every Flower Counts survey, a citizen science activity, where you’ll be supported with information to identify 26 common lawn flowers and report what you find on your patch. You will receive your very own nectar rating and be encouraged to repeat the survey in late July.
Local councils and landowners are also joining in the movement to create more wild spaces by leaving parks and verges to grow wild.
This May, do your bit by relaxing your garden duties, letting your lawn live a little and see what pops up and who comes to visit! Enjoy!!