Are you obsessed with your lawn?
I know for many home owners having a perfectly manicured lawn is top on the list when the warm weather hits. But if you could hold out just one month you would be providing food sources for pollinators who need that jump on the season.
WHAT IS THE POINT?
Weeds, anything growing in your lawn that's not grass, can be early spring food for bees that are coming out of winter hibernation. April showers bring May flowers (and weeds), temps will warm up and plant life will grow like, well, like a weed!
No Mow May rooted in Appleton and has spread like ground cover all over the U.S. the past couple of years. The idea behind No Mow May is simple – don't mow your lawn. That way, pollinators like bees and butterflies can have an early food source. Anyone can participate in No Mow May. Experts say it provides yet another way yo help the environment because it reduces the use of pesticides as well as the carbon monoxide, volatile organic and nitrogen oxides that gas powered mowers emit.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
Without pollinators we wouldn't have plants, fruits or vegetables for ourselves to eat! If we provide for them, they intern provide for us. Win for both! Clover, dandelion, purple nettle or violets do provide spring nectar and resources. Planting native plants and reducing pesticide usage — that’s what bees really need.
Being a beekeeper I seem to be more in tune with nature and what it provides for me, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. There is so much beauty in a field of dandelions or native wildflowers.
I've shared links to a couple of articles that have more information about No Mow May and how you can help.