No Mow May starts this week. It’s a celebration of nature and of doing less! Put away the mower, put out the deckchair and relax knowing that you are helping pollinators – our bees, butterflies and moths. At least for the month of May.
Nearly everyone’s lawn hosts a variety of wildflowers. We all see the obvious ones like dandelions and daisies but given the chance self-heal, clovers, vetches, and trefoils will all thrive. And even the grasses themselves are an important food source for caterpillars and other insects.
Started by the UK charity Plantlife as a citizen science initiative in 2019 it has gained popularity around the globe. While the impact it can have in a month might be limited to providing extra nectar and pollen from the flowers, that’s an important step in itself. In 2024 butterfly numbers were 50% down across the UK and Guernsey is likely to have seen the same decline as a result of poor summer weather driven by climate change. “We need to provide more sources of nectar, have more bits of the garden where insects can thrive, and cut out the pesticides if we are going to help nature recover” said Gordon Steele Chair of the Pollinator Project.
“We all have a role in helping nature, and No Mow May is a great start. But why stop there? Why not give over part of your garden to wildflowers permanently. Or why not plant a Pollinator Patch? The science shows that these things really make a difference. We’re pleased to be working with Government House and Ladies College this year again to extend their Pollinator Patches.
Anyone wanting a Pollinator Patch sign can contact us and we’ll provide one free of charge in May. Just email [email protected] with your details”.
Health Connections are once again joining us to celebrate this idea and have kindly let us use their shop window down in Market Square. You can’t miss the banner, we hope it gives everyone a little smile as they go past.
Even Monty Don has taken the idea one step further this year with a “shaggy lawn” a feature of his first ever Chelsea Flower Show entry. Inspired by his labradors, he will be featuring the lawn we all have with its imperfections, wildflowers, and unkempt patches. Long gone are the manicured lawns for Long Meadow.
Do any of these initiatives actually make a difference?
The Pollinator Project has been working for the last 5 years with the University of Bristol across the Channel Islands to record numbers of pollinating insects in gardens and meadows in a £1m research project. The team from Bristol will be back again this summer and will sharing some of their early results.
