No Mow May

May is almost over, but this is an important issue to me. No Mow May is a campaign to encourage people not to mow their lawns until the end of May in order to boost the flowers, and nectar, available to pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and moths. No Mow May is an idea that has recently gained popularity as gardeners and landowners in the northern hemisphere are letting their lawns grow freely to give nature a boost. This delay in your usual mowing will enable bees, butterflies and other wildlife to get a much-needed boost in the spring. All you have to do is resist the urge to cut the lawn during the month of May.

Research has revealed that mowing your lawn less frequently can provide enough nectar sugar for ten times the amount of bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and other pollinators. Lawns are often wastelands for insects and flowers, with all potential diversity kept under tight control by regular mowing and weed removal. But left to their own devices, those ordinary weeds can provide vital food for important insects. Dandelions are a particular superfood for bees and butterflies. If we don't feed our pollinators, they cannot assist in the growth of plants that feed us. Why shouldn't you cut the grass in May? Grass lawns begin to really take off during May. May is the time when the soils are warm enough for grasses to really start shooting up. Most homeowners are eager to get the mower out and transform that unruly patch of grass into a thriving lawn. If you hold off from cutting it a little while longer, and you can give pollinators – and the birds and animals who eat them – a much-needed boost.

May is a crucial month for flowering plants that need to get a firm foothold in order to provide food for pollinators

How to mow for wildlife all year round

Here are a few simple changes make now that can really help the insects in your yard:

• Raise your mower blade to the highest level

A healthy lawn should be no shorter than 2.5 - 3 inches. Taller grass shades the ground, slowing weed growth and water loss from the soil. When the grass is mowed too short, weed seeds germinate freely and quickly outgrowing your grass. The weed population then uses up the entirety of your soil’s nutrients, uptakes available soil moisture, and shades your grass from essential sunlight ensuring your beautiful lawn dies a slow death.

• Cut your grass less often

In my neighborhood people seem inclined to mow the lawn every week in the beginning of summer when the grass in growing more quickly than it will later in the year. If you mow every two or even three weeks you will save time, fuel (which we all know is super expensive!), and create a more welcoming environment for beneficial insects.

• Leave areas of your lawn uncut

I have started to mow a path around the perimeter of the yard, leaving the center to grow. The neatly cut edges demonstrate that I am not, in fact, ignoring my grass. I have not had any complaints so far. I'll keep you posted on that.

• Stop using weed killer

Avoid using herbicides to kill weeds or pesticides to kill insects. These chemicals find their way into the environment, and they restrict the movement of water in the soil. Pesticides can harm insects, microorganisms and earthworms that help keep a lawn healthy. In addition, many plants that we consider weeds are actually beneficial. Clover, for example, takes nitrogen from the atmosphere and distributes it in the soil. I intentionally mix white clover seeds with grass seed when I need to patch an area.

If you need to control weeds, do it in an eco-friendly manner. Cutting off the heads of dandelions before they have a chance to spread their seeds is a good form of weed abatement. If you need to use a weed killer, use a "natural" one. These nonchemical weed killers are often made from corn gluten and other nonchemical sources.