Have you heard of "No Mow May"? This initiative encourages you to halt lawn mowing during May to allow early-spring flowers like dandelions and clover to bloom, providing essential food for pollinators at a crucial time. However, a better approach may be "Slow Mow Spring," which promotes a variety of strategies around the home landscape to benefit pollinators and other wildlife throughout the season. By mowing less frequently and adjusting your mower to a higher blade setting, you can keep grass longer, which helps retain soil moisture and allows smaller flowers to thrive. Integrating native and beneficial flowers such as clover, selfheal, and violets into your lawn enriches the habitat further. This can be easily accomplished on an existing lawn by aerating and then overseeding with a pollinator lawn mix. Â
To provide even more pollinator support, consider dedicating a section of your yard to a mini-meadow or a wildflower garden, separate from your regular lawn. Expanding beyond grass, cultivating a variety of pollinator-friendly plants in shrubs, garden plants, and window boxes can significantly enhance local biodiversity. Additionally, timing mowing to let weeds flower and then cutting them before they seed can allow pollinators to benefit from the blooms without letting the weeds spread, striking a balance between ecological support and yard management.
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