Now Mow May isn’t the way to help bees and butterflies in your yard

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If your neighbour isn’t mowing their lawn lately, they might be part of the misguided movement known as No Mow May.

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The idea, according to the advocates, is that we should all skip mowing our lawns in May to allow bees and other pollinators to do their work.

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What these advocates don’t understand is that their efforts aren’t helping bees, but they are breeding ticks.

The idea of not mowing lawns in May to help bees began several years ago in the United Kingdom. The problem with bringing the idea to North America is that we don’t really have wildflowers growing in most of our lawns, we have dandelions and clover perhaps, but that’s not the best food for bees, which are active at this time of year.

None of that has stopped municipalities like Toronto, Kingston, Sudbury, Cornwall and East Gwillimbury from embracing and encouraging the idea among their residents.

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Experts point out there are other ways to help bees and other pollinators rather than letting your lawn grow.

Joe Salemi is the executive director of Landscape Ontario, a trade organization representing the province’s horticultural trades from landscapers to gardeners and everything in between.

“Planting native flowering shrubs, perennials, and annuals in our gardens is a more effective way to support bees and butterflies than leaving our lawns unkempt for an entire month,” Salemi said. “Neglected lawns become breeding grounds for fleas, ticks, and other pests.”

Those pests could include mice and rats, not the kind of critter we want to run into on the front lawn or in the backyard.

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And ticks are a real and growing problem across Southern Ontario, expanding their reach each year. If there was ever a reason to get that lawn mower out and working, that’s it right there.

As Salemi said, plant the flowers bees need and want if you want to help pollinators. At least that will beautify your yard while helping mother nature.

Letting your lawn grow for a month just makes your yard look unkept and likely annoys your neighbours.

No Mow May is one of these things that has grown in popularity because as long as you claim you are doing something for the environment, some people will automatically assume it’s a good idea. There’s also the misguided belief among far too many activists that lawns, grass, is bad for the environment.

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This idea is accepted as conventional wisdom by many self-proclaimed environmentalists but doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

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A healthy lawn sucks up CO2, improves air quality and generates oxygen. Deciding not to mow the grass for a month won’t help keep the lawn healthy and may in fact kill the lawn when you do cut it.

Letting your lawn grow to six inches or more and then whacking it down to three when you cut it can send the plant into shock.

By all means, do what you can to help the environment thrive, have a mixed yard of grass, shrubs, native plants and wildflowers, but put some thought into it. Don’t just latch onto the latest trendy idea because it has a slogan that can fit onto a bumper sticker or be a hashtag in a social media post.

Actually speak to an informed gardener at your local supply store about which plants will attract bees and butterflies. Planting those this month will do so much more than joining a misguided movement.

Now, it’s the middle of May, get out there and mow that lawn.

blilley@postmedia.com

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