No haircut in May (2024)

'No Mow May' is a quick and catchy name for a movement that goes far beyond not mowing the farm for a month. It's more than long grass and dandelion flowers. It's a gateway to understanding how we share our lawns with many small creatures.

Lawns cover 40 million acres, or 2%, of the land in the United States, making themlargest irrigated crop we grow. Lawns are mowed, raked, fertilized, weeded, chemically treated and watered – all of which takes time, money and other resources. Lawns provide few benefits to wildlife and are often harmful. Only lawns lack flowers and nesting places for bees and are often treated with pesticides that are harmful to bees and other invertebrates.

When we think of habitat loss, we often think of bulldozers and tracked dirt, but acres of manicured lawns represent as much of a loss of habitat as any development site.

Rethinking the American lawn can take several forms, from reducing mowing frequency or area mowed to permanently converting the lawn into a more diverse and natural landscape.

Why mow less in the spring?

The start of the growing season is a critical time for hungry, newly emerged native bees. Floral resources can be difficult to find, especially in urban and suburban landscapes. Allowing it to grow longer and allow flowers to bloom can help your lawn provide nectar and pollen so your bee neighbors can thrive.

Less mowing creates habitat and can increase the abundance and diversity of wildlife, including bees and other pollinators. One way to reduce mowing is to participate in No Mow April, No Mow May or Low Mow Spring.

You don't have to go a whole month without mowing. Mowing every two or three weeks can increase flower blooms and provide food for hungry bees.

The story

No Mow May first became popular through Vegetable life, an organization based in Great Britain but now gaining popularity across North America. The goal of No Mow May is to pause mowing during the month of May to allow flowers to bloom in your lawn to help early season pollinators. Late winter and early spring are a time when flower supplies are often limited.

In 2020, residents of Appleton, Wisconsin, a subsidiary of Bee City USA, got excited about No Mow May and convinced their city council to suspend their pot ordinance for the month of May. More than 435 registered property owners participated that year. Buoyed by their success in 2020, the Appleton Bee City Committee spread the word and attracted even more participants in 2021, and in 2022 it spread to communities across the country.

While no one organization officially oversees No Mow May, many do Bee City USAIn Bee Campus VSaffiliates choose to participate. And while no mowing in May isn't the right choice for everyone or all regions, the campaign can be a great tool for getting new people involved in pollinator conservation.

Not mowing for a few weeks is a simple step, but it's only one step, and more is needed to transform our neighborhoods. Can you mow less or add flowers to your lawn all year round?

The research

There are several studies that illustrate how reducing mowing frequency benefits bees, as well as butterflies, grasshoppers and many other insects. In central Kentucky, 26 types of beerHe was recorded visiting dandelions and white clover in urban and suburban areas. Researchers in Massachusetts discovered this 93 species of bees visit lawn flowers, with the greatest diversity and abundance on lawns mowed every two or three weeks. Meta-analyses looking at the results of many studies from Europe and North America found a significant increase inabundance and species diversity of butterflies and beeson less frequently mowed lawns, and that increased mowing intensity resulted in a significant negative effectTabout plant diversity and insect diversity.

Some studies also indicate that less intensive mowing leads to: fewer pests, but also potential cost savings up to 36%for park managers to reduce the mowing frequency from 15 to 10 times a year. And it's not just bees that benefit from blooming lawns. This is evident from studies among park users in Minneapolis95% of them were in favor of mowing less.

Learn more:Summaries of published studies on the conservation benefits of cutting less

Bees need more than weeds

Letting regular weeds grow is better than no flowers, but the typical lawn weeds may not be the best for bees or the best neighbors for other flowers. Dandelions, for example, have pollen with a low protein content (poor nutrition for bees) and that is also knownsuppress other flowers. You can go beyond mowing less by amending your lawn with more flowering species. A "bee lawn" may contain white clover (Trifolium repens) and other low-growing flowering plants such as creeping thyme (Thymusspp.), self-healing (Prunella vulgaris), and others. Some plants, such as native violets (Violaspp.), may already be present and should be encouraged as they are valuable host plants for lapwing butterflies. For more information about creating a thriving lawn, see the resources at the end of this web page.

Bees need more than long grass

Cutting back on spending is one thingLillesteps to help the bees, and it's not enough to save the bees. The best way we can protect the more than 3,600 species of bees in the United States is to:

1. Plant a variety of native plants that bloom consistently throughout the growing season,
2. Provide natural nesting sites: 70% of bees breed on the ground, 90% live solitary,
3. Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides, and
4. Spread the word: Educate friends, neighbors and elected officials about pollinator conservation.

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