As May comes to an end without mowing, here’s why we should keep our lawn wild forever

Over the last century, almost all of the wildflower meadows in Britain have been destroyed through the expansion of farms, cities and towns. This loss of habitat has led fall of natureaccording to research conducted by a charity dedicated to the protection of birds and nature RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Nature).

As grasslands and other wilderness areas disappeared in Britain and elsewhere, there were massive population collapses: Europe lost more than 600 million birds since 1980, while insects We saw a 76% decline.

If you have a lawn, you have a chance to lend a hand reverse this trend. No Mow May, a campaign run by the plant protection charity Plant lifeasks people to refrain from mowing the lawn in May. With over 20 million gardensThe UK has extensive resources for wildlife to benefit from.

Although a perfectly manicured lawn has traditionally been seen as the ideal British garden, concern for wildlife has forced a rethink. In recent years, wild and unruly gardens – including one inspired by wetlands transformed by beavers – won Best in Show at the annual Chelsea Flower Show.

The No Mow May campaign is still in its infancy. But what research has revealed about its effects so far is encouraging.

Read more: Four steps to turn your lawn into a wildlife haven – from a green desert to a miniature rainforest

Let there be flowers

No Mow May encourages people to leave their lawns wild all month long, allowing flowers that are usually considered weeds to mature, bloom and provide bees with food in the form of nectar and pollen. Swift-growing dandelions, cuckooflowers, daisies and buttercups are likely to appear in lawns left to decompose; you can enjoy the colour while wildlife enjoys the food.

Still, some people don’t like their lawn to be all wild. Fortunately, research has shown that leaving lots of petite patches for wildflowers can still provide significant benefits for many local pollinators. Miniature patches no larger than 20 square metres (about the size of a living room) can double the number of bees visiting your garden. This means you can keep your garden areas tidy while still leaving some space for wildlife.

However, since you are providing the bees with so much food, using insecticides will undo your challenging work. Of course, insecticides can harm the bees, but even herbicides can poison their stomachs.

Scientists believe that wildlife-friendly gardens have huge potential to lend a hand urban wildlifeand recent studies have revealed benefits for insect populations in particular. Research from a five-year study by Butterfly Conservation showed 93% increase in butterfly visits to gardens taking part in No Mow May. A survey of gardens across the UK found that almost half provide food for wild birds from bird feeders – we are already trying to encourage wild animals to stay in our gardens, so No Mow May is simply a continuation of these activities.

The benefits go far beyond bees and butterflies: studies have shown an enhance in the population of ground beetles (which eat common garden pests) and a healthier population of earthworms. better soil on lawns with less care.

But of course everything can change on June 1st.

A lean June for birds

Although common lawn flowers grow and flower quickly, these flowers finish in slow May and begin to go to seed – providing a fantastic food source for birds such as goldfinches and sparrows. When mowing resumes, you will have destroyed all that food that the birds have been waiting for.

There is another disadvantage to resuming mowing after May. Bees are exceptionally bright creatures and can learn where flowers are located in their environment (your garden). This form of learning is called “flower constancy” and is crucial to how Bee AND bumblebees survive. When the wild patches are cut down in slow May, all the energy and effort the bees put into learning where to find these flowers goes to waste.

The most useful gardens are those where unmown areas become lasting. Leave petite areas for wildlife and do not mow them until slow May. A petite corner of the garden dedicated to wildlife can make a huge difference if we all do it.

As the long-term patches become more established, they “self-seed,” meaning that the existing wildflowers become denser and the patches look nicer, with more color and recent plants popping up in subsequent years. The better-looking patches become an incentive for neighbors, nurturing the bond between people and nature and make them more willing to adopt wild gardens themselves.

Some influential report published in 2010, continues to shape Government policy to reverse decades of wildlife loss.

His title Making Space for Nature was meant to provoke radical changes in the way we manage our landscapes – but I’ve always thought the term was also apt on a micro scale. Everyone should make space for nature where they can. No Mow May, and the enduring ethos it hopefully bestows, is one way to do that.

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