Spring is in full swing, and many insects, animals, and plants are now active and roaming or growing in your yard. You may also have heard of the “No Mow May” movement from the news, social media, or eco focused organizations. Not mowing for a full month sounds like a nice idea, but it can also lead to a few problems (Damiano, 2023).

Abstaining from mowing for only one month out of the mowing season can create confusion for insects and essential pollinators by providing food and shelter for a month, but then taking that shelter and food source away once mowing commences again in June. Insects may have short lifespans, but many have long memories and colony insects communicate to each other about where food and shelter are located, so providing a temporary haven with food and shelter and then removing it, is not good for these creatures. The “No Mow May” movement is, “a ‘feel-good, stop-gap measure, because if you want to have an impact, you need to establish a permanent cover for insects,’ not merely temporary housing” (Damiano quoting Yeh, 2023).

Here are some ways to help pollinator insects outside of not mowing for a month.

1. Mow less overall: if you can’t stand to let your yard run wild or if you live somewhere where HOA or city ordinance won’t let you skip out on mowing, try mowing less. Most people cut their grass as short as 3 inches, but most ordinances allow grass to grow up to 6 or 8 inches. Try mowing every other week and don’t cut the grass down too short. Even just maintaining longer grass could positively impact the health of your yard and the variety of insect species we want to support.    
2. Add flowers or alternative grown cover to your yard in place of turf grass, such as clover, meadow flowers, or native plants. This would mean less yard maintenance and work for you, and it would also provide food and shelter for the insects we need. Whether you like them or not, our lives are very dependent on insects.
3. Minimize your yard by planting more shrubs, trees, and gardens. This can also provide more natural shelter and food options for your pollinator friends and local wildlife.
4. Add insect homes and baths. Many of us provide bird baths and feeders, so why not lay out some insect homes and bee baths.
5. Try to forgo chemicals and weedkillers by using natural products or pulling weeds by hand. Or better, leave the weeds if you can.
6. Put up a habitat sign to help educate others on the importance of conserving our natural habitats.

When considering taking part in low mowing efforts or establishing more natural yards, please check your local HOA or community ordinances for current rules. If you find you live in an area with more restrictive ordinances, advocate for reforms that allow more pollinator-friendly yards (Bee City USA, 2023).

No Mow May and lawn aesthetics and regulations can be a polarizing topic for some people. If you want to dive into some of the political, economic, and social history behind the phenomenon of manicured lawns, urban landscaping, and cultivating natural habitats on personal property, the IU East Campus Library has plenty of research articles and books on the topic. A few sources include:

Books

1. Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening by Kim Eierman (2020)
2. The Management of Insects in Recreation and Tourism edited by Raynald Harvey Lemelin (2013)
3. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas Tallamy (2009)
4. Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds, and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are by Paul Robbins (2007)

Articles

1. An alternative urban green carpet: How can we move to sustainable lawns in a time of climate change? Science (2018)
2. Public gardens: Helping to reimagine the American lawn. Public Garden (2021)
3. The grass is not greener. Scientific America (2019)
4. No Mow May lawns have higher pollinator richness and abundances: An engaged community provides floral resources for pollinators. PeerJ (2020)
5. Partial mowing of urban lawns supports higher abundances and diversities of insects. Journal of Insect Conservation (2021)

For more ways to explore this topic, we have a Sustainability Resources at IU East libguide that provides links to databases, ebooks, and films on topics related to sustainability, conservation, and environmental science. If you need assistance in accessing any of these resources or want help finding more information on this topic, Ask Us! iueref@iue.edu or click here:

Sources:

Damiano, J. (May 4, 2023). No Mow May? Good intentions, bad approach, critic says. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/gardening-no-mow-may-lawns-6aa1669b9e9bb5b5d8ea671c44d186f2

Bee City USA. (2023). No mow May, low mow spring. https://beecityusa.org/no-mow-may/