No Mow May has grown in popularity over the last few years with many organizations and communities asking people to keep their lawn mowers in the shed during the month to allow grass and flowers to grow so they can feed pollinators and other wildlife.
However, more and more experts are saying it’s not really necessary.
World Wildlife Fund Canada’s resident botanist, Ryan Godfrey says the movement began in the U.K. about five years ago and since then has spread around the world.
But he calls it complicated when it comes to whether No Mow May is actually helpful or not, especially in North America.
“Here, if you stop mowing your lawn, the most likely species of plants to start growing up in there are species like dandelions and, red and white clovers perhaps which are not native to our ecosystems here. They are not the greatest food sources for the diverse, you know, hundreds of species of wild bees and thousands of species of other pollinators that are native to these ecosystems.”
He says those pollinators really need native plants for the best food source and those plants won’t likely just show up in your yard by not cutting the grass.
But he adds No Mow May is a good conversation starter about how we really can help fight biodiversity loss and climate change.
That’s part of the reason behind the push for naturalized lawns.
Many municipalities have adopted by-laws encouraging them.
Godfrey says by increasing the plant diversity in your yard, the insect biodiversity will follow.
“And there are native plant species that I think are really compatible with that. So, one would be wild strawberries for example are really great, they’re low. Common blue violets are another really nice one. Pussytoes are another one that have a beautiful kind of velvety texture so if you’re going barefoot on the lawn, that would be a nice addition too.”
One positive of No Mow May is you are able to reduce your carbon footprint for the month though Godfrey says a naturalized lawn reduces your carbon footprint far beyond 31 days.
“All of that is carbon emitting in one way or another. You know, the mowing, the leaf blowing, that’s literal emissions going out into the atmosphere. And you have to spend carbon to make those fertilizers and those herbicides and all of those things that you’re spraying on the lawn.”
While No Mow May may not be as impactful as it’s meant to be, Godfrey stresses the Leave the Leaves movement in the fall is still important to give pollinators and insects shelter over the winter.
“Providing, you know, a nice thick, pillowy leaf layer on your garden beds or in any other spots where you can just leave them down. Those insects will cozy up over the winter and it’s actually about now that many of them will start emerging in the spring.”
Godfrey adds many entomologists suggest leaving the leaf layer until the first consistent week of double digit temperatures because that’s when most pollinators will emerge.
And, if you’re still marvelling over the fact that dandelions are not native to North America, you’re probably not alone.
Godfrey says they’ve been here for a few hundred years but are actually native to parts of France at the base of the Alps.
That doesn’t mean dandelions are all bad even if they’re not really helpful to our native pollinators.
“But here they really thrive in our urban ecosystems. I like to remind people that dandelions are completely edible, every part of them can be consumed. They, actually, in some places are quite prized the greens, for their flavour in a salad.”
WWF’s regrow program offers plenty of tips on growing native plants and taking action in favour of biodiversity.
Learn more at www.wwf.ca/regrow
