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#NoMowMay: 3,000 pledge to grow not mow this summer

butterfly-conservation.org

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You’ll likely have heard of No Mow May – conservation charity Plantlife’s campaign to get people to put their mower away throughout the month of May and let their lawns grow long to benefit wildlife. However, did you know that butterflies and moths need long grass throughout the spring and summer? This year, we are asking people to take No Mow May to the next level and join more than 3,000 people who have already pledged to grow their grass long from April to September.

Butterfly Conservation research shows that long grass can boost butterfly numbers by up to 93%. Long grass is important for butterflies and moths throughout their lifecycle, with adult butterflies and moths nectaring on wildflowers which pop up in long lawns and several species laying their eggs on grasses. Many caterpillars also rely on long grass throughout the spring and summer months for food. Because of this, it’s important to leave parts of your grass to grow long all the way from April to September. In fact, it’s even better if, when you do mow the lawn, you don't cut all your grass at once. Leaving 20% uncut all year long will also provide refuges for overwintering eggs and caterpillars, supporting the next generation of butterflies and moths.

With gardens making up more than 728,000 hectares in Great Britain – that’s the equivalent of over a million football pitches – the small step of leaving a patch of grass to grow long in each of these gardens could make a huge difference for butterflies and moths. Some grass-loving species to look out for in your new butterfly- and moth-friendly lawn:

3 comments

  • I've been doing this for a few years now.

    What I have learned that helps a lot for the garden not ending up completely mad:

    • Mow at a higher height earlier in the year, but consistently.
      This allows the smaller shoots of grass to establish.
      Which in turn means that when you finally chop after May, you're left with relatively even grass.
      Rather than chopping down fewer very long pieces of grass, and finding lots of under-grown gaps.
    • Stop mowing the edges in April, and possibly pick one patch to leave un-mown until august. I normally do a corner.
      The next year, you'd never know.
    • Try to ID weeds that start growing, and hand-remove if required. Myself, I try to keep the Bindweed and Virginia Creeper in check.
      I leave dandelions alone. There is another weed I've never got around to ID'ing, but I leave it alone now, and the bees love it.
    • Keep them mower blades sharp. It helps prevent the grass getting ripped out of the ground when you do mow.