May Almanac
“No Mow May”, a promotion for pollinator habitat, is an initiative that started in the United Kingdom 25 years ago. Participation is simple…just don’t mow your lawn for the month of May. The goals of the initiative include increasing forage for pollinators as well as other wildlife and creating awareness about the negative ecological impact of intensively managed lawns. The practice also means less lawn mower action, less noise and less pollution from gas powered lawn equipment. Also known as “Low Mow May”, “No Mow April”, or “Low Mow Spring”, the idea is to refrain from mowing the lawn for the first few weeks after the grass begins to grow, allowing small flowering plants in the lawns to bloom and provide an early and much -needed food source for insects waking up from winter and available blooms for pollinators. Sponsored locally by Grand Traverse Children’s Garden and GT Butterfly House and Bug Zoo, a few “No Mow May” signs were spotted around Elk Rapids and many more in Traverse City.
No Mow May Sign displayed in an Elk Rapids yard
The practice is not without controversy. Refraining from mowing for a few weeks offers only short-lived benefits to native insects and pollinators.
However, Dr. Doug Tallamy, co-founder of Home-Grown National Park, suggests the topic can be an introduction to thinking about the yard as habitat and help people rethink the societal norm of a perfectly manicured grass lawn. He notes not all plants are created equal in the eyes of insects and pollinators, and most species have evolved to only be able to eat certain plants. Pollinators require pollen-producing flowers for forage, and typical manicured turf lawns provide neither food nor habitat. They often include other environmentally harmful inputs such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to keep them “perfectly green and weed free”. All this tends to make them ecological dead zones. He points out that if we converted a portion of grass lawns in the United Stated to native plantings, we would have more habitat biodiversity than all our national parks combined.
If you’re looking for more ways to increase biodiversity around your home, the Home-Grown Park website lists some additional actions that can help pollinators year-round:
-shrink your lawn and incorporate native plants
-remove invasives
-don’t cut stems to the ground and leave the old stalks as habitat for beneficial insects
-grow a native bee lawn by enriching turfgrass lawns with low-growing flowering species, providing forage for pollinators while still allowing for moderate recreational use and requiring less frequent mowing than traditional turf lawns
-advocate for more biodiversity -friendly ordinances and guidelines that allow landscaping that supports native pollinators
Note: The Royal Oak City Commission voted in May 2022 and again in 2023 and 2024 to support No Mow May. The initiative was headed by a group of middle schoolers and the community garden group.
Info on bee lawns: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/native-bee-lawns-the-better-of-both-worlds/
However, Dr. Doug Tallamy, co-founder of Home-Grown National Park, suggests the topic can be an introduction to thinking about the yard as habitat and help people rethink the societal norm of a perfectly manicured grass lawn. He notes not all plants are created equal in the eyes of insects and pollinators, and most species have evolved to only be able to eat certain plants. Pollinators require pollen-producing flowers for forage, and typical manicured turf lawns provide neither food nor habitat. They often include other environmentally harmful inputs such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to keep them “perfectly green and weed free”. All this tends to make them ecological dead zones. He points out that if we converted a portion of grass lawns in the United Stated to native plantings, we would have more habitat biodiversity than all our national parks combined.
If you’re looking for more ways to increase biodiversity around your home, the Home-Grown Park website lists some additional actions that can help pollinators year-round:
-shrink your lawn and incorporate native plants
-remove invasives
-don’t cut stems to the ground and leave the old stalks as habitat for beneficial insects
-grow a native bee lawn by enriching turfgrass lawns with low-growing flowering species, providing forage for pollinators while still allowing for moderate recreational use and requiring less frequent mowing than traditional turf lawns
-advocate for more biodiversity -friendly ordinances and guidelines that allow landscaping that supports native pollinators
Note: The Royal Oak City Commission voted in May 2022 and again in 2023 and 2024 to support No Mow May. The initiative was headed by a group of middle schoolers and the community garden group.
Info on bee lawns: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/native-bee-lawns-the-better-of-both-worlds/