No Mow May: Help nature this month by doing nothing!

With spring here you may be itching to get into the garden for much-needed weeding, but No Mow May asks for a halt.

This national campaign was set up by British conservation charity Plantlife. Intended to educate gardeners across the country on how giving up their mowing habits for a month can help flowers and other plants continue to grow on lawns, boosting local ecosystems.

Doing so provides an essential source of nectar which allows bees and other insects to pollinate our green spaces, and what could be easier for the environment than doing nothing at all?

By changing your mowing routine and allowing plants to flower, you can help plant life create enough nectar for ten times more bees and other pollinators. This in turn allows insect populations to survive and help restore our green spaces to their full glory.

The event is more essential than ever as insect populations face threats with declining numbers over the last several years.

Many animals and other wildlife species depend on insects to provide them with a main food source, these include protected species such as hedgehogs, birds, slow worms, frogs, toads, and fish.

Why does this matter? The 2022 Bugs Matter report released by charities Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife shows a 64% decline in insect populations between 2004 and 2022.

When the amount of food at the root of the food chain decreases, the impact reverberates across the entire chain.

So, the official month of doing nothing to your garden is here. It is time to find room in your green space to let nature do its thing.