No Mow May
There has been a lot of coverage of No Mow May in the UK. The idea is that you do not cut your grass as soon as it starts growing so that your lawn can be better for wildlife.
I know some people strive for that perfect lawn, but it can be a bit of a desert for insects. I have never worried about mine being immaculate. We always had a few 'weeds' in there like clover and daisies. This year we just cut some paths and let the rest grow.
We have a big garden and we want to see wildlife in it. There are a few areas that we allow to be fairly wild, but the grass was generally kept reasonably short. I do not mind it like this and I am interested to see what grows. I do not really want things like nettles, but we have those elsewhere anyway.
The grass still needs to be managed to encourage the right sort of plants. Today I used the strimmer to cut it back a bit. I raked up the cuttings as we do not want those making the soil more fertile which would just encourage more grass growth. Other plants get by with less nutrients.
I have been watching to see what insects are around. This small fly was enjoying a buttercup. I also see bees and wasps around as well as some butterflies. I am no expert at identifying species though.
Cow parsley is pretty common around here and grows quite tall.
Daisies are everywhere too. I did not photograph any dandelions, but we get plenty of those and they are supposed to be great for insects. I do pick off the seed heads to slow down their spread a little.
I also noticed this strange web on the apple tree. We will get some fruit even though it may have some branches looking off-colour.
These alliums are related to onions, but not edible as far as I know. Their flowers are pretty anyway. We are not great gardeners, so we like these plants that just come up every year.
This area is all gravel on a membrane, but things grow in it anyway. We have ox-eye daisies, love in the mist and sweetpeas coming up. There will be lots of flowers for the pollinators. We should have some evening primrose soon too. The fence is collapsing as it is being attacked by ivy from next down. That garden is neglected and full of brambles. We hope the owners will at least clear along the fence some time.
I need to look out for the blue tits that have been using our nest box. They were busy fetching food for their chicks. That is a good reason to encourage more insect life in the garden so they do not have to fly so far.
Gardens are an important part of the local ecology. A lot of farmland is covered by a single type of plant that will be sprayed with various chemicals. We try to avoid using chemicals. I am looking to grow more native plants that will bring in more wildlife and also to create more places for them to live or nest.
We and nature need each other.
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Great stuff!
There are loads of signs everywhere around town explaining to people why they keep the grass long. It looks absolutely lovely everywhere! Full of flowers!
It looks like the council are leaving some of the verges to grow. Some people complained about visibility on corners, but they can just cut where it's needed. The world needs more flowers.
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BEER.I haven’t been mowing since last year and it was quite some work to even trim it down. I did discover some new plants in the process though. Next week lawn mower come out now that I trimmed it all enough for it to handle it 😂
Your garden must be big! 🤩
That’s great you are doing that. It doesn’t work for us as our garden is small but lovely, lawn is kept well cut but we’ve some great flowering plants out there for the pollinators. We’ve also got a strip of garden along the outside of the house too where we’ve been planting some more roses recently. It’s a constant work in progress and an ever changing tapestry.
It doesn't have to look this messy. Can pick flowers that are good for insects. Some of the fancy varieties are no good for pollinators. Water features are good too and I want a pond as we lost the old one.
Might see an uptick in ticks.
They are not common around here. Don't always look for the negatives.
No clue how that's negative. Quite common in Canada and typically found in tall grass, especially once the grass dries. I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to say "uptick in ticks," and where I live a dumb line like that would have got a chuckle or at least an eye roll and a pfff.
Don't be so negative, Steve. It's free chicken food.
I know they are an issue and there may be some here. Just wasn't sure what intention was behind the comment. I'm all for puns.
Animals will bring them in and if there's habitat, they'll survive and spread. That's nature. Plenty of it in Canada and I'm immersed as I write this.
I don't associate ticks with something bad. Seasonal bugs in Canada, usually peak in June, not much of an issue by August. Flick them off like a mosquito. Tough to squash so one usually washes them down the drain if you find one on you while inside. People are paranoid of the bites, I'm not and have had several. Common practice to check yourself for ticks in Canada, especially after walking through tall grass. To me, seeing tall grass and thinking ticks is like seeing bread and thinking butter.
I also thought of mice, which carry ticks. Your post is talking about bringing back nature which is great. Mice like tall grass as well since their natural predators can't see them. Cats will have fun. And if the cats get out of hand, call up Canada and we'll give you some coyotes. They love cats. Big city like Edmonton, I saw a coyote walking downtown once. Nature takes care of itself if you give it a chance.
I didn't know there was a movement over there to bring it back. I think it's good. Nothing negative about it. Didn't even register my comment could be interpreted as negative. Still doesn't. But it's cool.
I've heard about deer spreading ticks, but we don't tend to get them in the village. We do have rats, foxes and hedgehogs as well as mice and voles. Plenty of cats around here, but few strays.
I see some warnings of ticks around here and the dangers of Lyme disease, but I don't know anyone who's had it.
Canada has a lot more natural landscape than the UK. Most of our land has been used for building or farming, so nature gets squeezed out. I'm sure I see less birds and insects than even a few years ago, so I'll do what I can to bring them back.
People don't always read our comments as we expect. I get the odd person trolling me, but don't let it get me down.
Birds can carry ticks as well as pick them off and drop them or eat them.
Growing up I remember a teacher of mine getting Lyme disease. That's the only case where I've known someone getting it. Treatable if you catch it early.
The area of Canada where I grew up, wetlands and farmland share the same space. One must harvest before the geese arrive from the north heading south for winter. Millions of them. Hunters love it. Food still falls from the sky here. Strict regulations of course.
And we've crossed paths for nearly seven years. I'm not trolling you dude.
who knew no mow may was a thing....
I saw that about no mow may. I couldn't do it though. I probably would have gotten fined. I try to grow my own stuff to bring in the wildlife. Hard when we are in such a drought this year.
Does someone enforce neat gardens? That policy needs to change. What's even worse is that people are installing plastic 'grass'. Lawns can need a lot of water, so we should use plants that handle drought.
Yes, there are blight warnings here. A lot of times what they do is hire someone to mow it and then they send you the bill. If you live in neighborhood that has an HOA (home owners association), it can get even worse.
Well nobody is going to prosecute us for letting the grass grow. The council are letting the verges grow and they look nice.
That's cool.
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I didn't realise I've been looking after birds and insects and nature all this time.
I'm not lazy. I'm a hero.
Who knew saving the world was so little work?
especially as permaculture principles tell you to plant veg without digging!
🤣👍
Never better words were spoken. This post makes me miss the UK. You guys have nature loving at your heart - butterflies and mayflies, hedgehogs and hares. So precious.
Still, ya gotta mow a nettle patch!
We have corners with nettles. They are good for some butterflies.
Looks like my back garden, messy. I'm sure the neighbours poke their heads over shaking disapprovingly.
Neglecting the garden is not quite the same thing. If the main elements are old mattresses then you are doing it wrong. We don't have any immediate neighbours.
Lucky you then.. 😁
The front is lovely, the back not so good. It's all about perception you see.
Do the neighbours complain about those who let the place down?
Nah, they would need to look over the fence to see it. The grass is kept short but our dog ruined the lawn years ago.
Very cool! I have never had a green thumb bit we talking strictly plant pots here. But this type of vibe I could do. Looking for a nice garden with the new home hunt and this type of natural growth is something I could definitely encourage.
Looking forward to see which other lovely wonders will pop up in your garden! Are you planting any seeds yourself or just letting nature do its thing?
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Not planting any seeds for now, but will look into that. I need to find out what plants would help the local bugs.
The bugs, hey! We have been brainwashed to do the reverse for so long. But I'm glad the discourse is changing!
you can buy seed bombs to attract bees and other insects https://shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk/seedball-bee-mix?gclid=Cj0KCQjwj_ajBhCqARIsAA37s0zaPLQ4acz92tnEpYlBUSXMeJ_pzk9G6k7rDtldotMcToi7v84chZsaAhFNEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Now I know how to call a garden and a yard of my mom's village house :D It can be a great example of No Mow May movement, also not intentionally nut because no one lives there now and the grass grows really fast, especially in May. But actually, it makes it special to me...
Yours are lovely :)
Any gardens that get abandoned will be reclaimed by nature. I still need to work on mine to get the right balance.
They just got rid of all the daisies on the grass outside my house 😣. It looked so much better uncut, and the air gets very dusty after mowing -- pretty sure constant mowing dries out the soil, too. I haven't mown anything for a long time. There is certainly plenty of wildlife! We had a cat food dispenser disappear from the picnic table in its entirety the other day.
Given that it was a cheapo version that separates very easily and spills dry food everywhere if you let it, I can just imagine our local vixen balancing this whole thing in her jaws as she swaggered off back to her cubs with it. Can't think of any other culprit than a fox, either...
Did they eat the bowl too? Our lawn is generally lush, so it must be fertile ground. This is a long term project.
Ah you think she carried it off. Quite a trick getting over or under the fence. I can't find out lawn rake. I doubt a fox 🦊 took that. It's a mistake to make garden tools green. It may be buried under stuff somewhere.
Very true about the colour!
I've bought some more expensive stuff a while ago, they're red and yellow I think.
You can still lose them but I'm very cautious not to lol
I can only assume the thief took the whole lot, and a good long way away, because it wasn't lying around in the back alley or anything, as you might expect with an animal thief. Either that or the cost-of-living crisis means someone can't afford to feed their cat. A fox took my mum's right shoe that she had left to air outside on the patio. Never came back for the left one though... I'm sure if you go tramping about your garden long enough the rake'll spring up and hit you!
On one of my FB group a guy in even said he didn't mind a den of fox that's been in his back garden for years, says it's good for wildlife and keeps the rats away 😬
I would love to have foxes!
We had one next door for a while and would often see the cubs. They are cute and must have eaten a few pests.
I think I've unwittingly participated in No Mo May by being lazy and busy hahah. I've got some tall weeds that are past knee hight now 😂
It seems a lot of people do it accidentally, but creating a wildflower meadow can involve some work. I was out strimming again last night. Our grass is just so lush, but then that area was a veg garden for many years.