No Mow May

Get creative with the mower (Gillian White)
Mow an intriguing path through your meadow (Andrea Mitson)

We would like to encourage everyone interested in TDEG’s “Going Wild” project to join in with this national campaign by the charity, Plantlife.

No Mow May asks us to simply set aside all, or even just a small area, of our lawn, and allow it grow unmown during the month of May.

You can read more about the Plantlife campaign here.

Just lock up your lawnmower on May 1st and let the wild flowers in your lawn bloom, providing a feast of nectar for our hungry pollinators.

Why is this important?

  • On a single day in summer, one acre of wildflower meadow can contain 3 million flowers, producing 1 kg of nectar sugar. That’s enough to support nearly 96,000 honey bees per day.
  • But since the 1930s, we have lost nearly 7.5 million acres of flower-rich meadows and pastures. Just 1% of our countryside now provides this floral feast for pollinators.
  • Against this loss, habitats such as lawns have become increasingly important. With 15 million gardens in Britain, our lawns have the potential to become major sources of nectar.
  • Just reducing your mowing for one month will make a real difference – allowing early summer wildflowers to bloom and support a wide range of insects and other wildlife.
  • You could even reduce your mowing for a much longer period, and develop a new wildflower meadow. More information from Plantlife on creating a meadow here.
 
TDEG is delighted that other organisations in our area are joining in with proposals to encourage more wildflowers in our green spaces and roadside verges. Tideswell Parish Council is trialling a different mowing regime in three areas – around Townhead Recreation Area, along the Whitecross Road verges, and some verges on Gordon Road. Tideswell cubs are also joining in with the activities, by helping us to monitor changes in wildflowers on Townhead Recreation area, and producing signs to explain the benefits for wildlife at all the trial sites. 
 
Do let us know how you get on – either email us (info@tdeg.org.uk) or you can post your photos on our TDEG Facebook page.
 
If you are planning to join No Mow May, or to try even more actions in your garden or on your land to help nature recover, you may like to join TDEG’s Going Wild project. Sign up here for more information.
 
Information and images courtesy of Plantlife

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