No Mow May, Thigh High July!
Next Thursday is May Day! At this time of year the blossom is in the trees and wild flowers should be starting to grow in meadows around the country. Blossom and wild flowers are pollinated by a huge number of insects which also form the basis for a natural food chain feeding many birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians, etc.
Unfortunately, we have sprayed our countryside with pesticides and herbicides, and we have mowed our meadows and our gardens so that there are fewer wild flowers and insects.
No Mow May is a campaign to encourage us to put away our lawnmowers and to let areas of our lawn go wild. No lawn is too small! Even the smallest wild patch can provide vital food needed by bees, butterflies and other insects, connecting us with nature and giving nature the best start to summer.
In my garden I have noticed that, not only are there more bees and butterflies due to the wild flowers, there are also more insects in the grass itself – spiders and small flies, even grasshoppers later in the summer! We also found different types of grasses.
And if you can leave the wild patch to grow beyond May and into the summer then you might have a “Thigh High July” in your wild patch!
If you want to find out more visit Plantlife’s website. And if you take part, let us know in the comments section below.
You may also be interested in identifying the wild flowers and insects you find when you let a patch of garden go wild. We recommend using the Seek app from iNaturalist. Alwoodley 2030 also has a Nature and Biodiversity group.
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