Need an excuse to not mow your lawn for the rest of the month?
Try “No Mow May”.
It’s a movement that was started about four years ago in the United Kingdom.
The thought behind the effort, or lack thereof, is to let your grass grow so that pollinators like bees can find food and shelter in early spring.
Not mowing your lawn also allows for dandelions to grow, uninterrupted and allows bees to pollinate.
While it sounds like a good idea, it might make zero change or do nothing at all.
A study that supported the idea of No Mow May was retracted with it being unknown, what befits there are, if any.
Jessica Damiano, a gardener writes in the Associated Press, she thinks it’s a bad idea.
“Some of those pollinators you set out to protect will likely get shredded up with the first mow of the season,” writes Damiano. “Grass will no doubt get shaded by tall weeds, which can lead to fungal diseases. And weeds and invasive plants that take hold during the month won’t simply disappear once the mowing commences. That might lead people to apply chemical pesticides they wouldn’t otherwise use.”
She also warms the tall grass could be an invite to snake and rodents.
Experts say bees are good at finding where the pollen so once they find somewhere there is a good food source, they’ll remember to come back.
Another expert says that once the grass is low again, it could confuse insects like bees.
In western Pennsylvania and many other areas deer ticks are a danger and love the tall grass.
So, if you don’t feel like cutting your grass, you have an excuse, but it might not be a very good one.