It’s that time of year again when the lawn mower rolls out of winter storage. With lawns turning green from spring rains, and warmer days encouraging growth, it’s a sign of summer coming around the corner.
The Lynnfield Tree Committee wants residents to know they can welcome the warm weather more in tune to nature by keeping that mower locked up for an extra month.
A movement that is starting to take off all around the country is No Mow May. This is to support early pollinators like bees and butterflies by allowing flowers to bloom in lawns.
“It’s a small step in the right direction towards propping up our insect population at a critical time of year,” said Tree Committee Chair Jane Bandini. “Ideally, we should be planting more native flowers, shrubs, and trees while diminishing our massive lawn areas, but you can help simply by leaving some green space untouched.”
Bandini said it’s not necessary to allow the whole yard to become overgrown to have an impact. She suggests starting small by not mowing an area in the back or side yard.
“This has more benefits than might be apparent at first,” said Bandini. “Consider how quiet it would be without mowers and the accompanying leaf blower; not applying herbicides saves the bees; flowers are pretty; it requires you to do absolutely nothing. The only drawback could be that you like it too much.”
Try enlarging the No Mow May area, adding native wildflower seeds, or simply mowing less all summer long. By adding a small wildflower meadow, which is an extremely supportive and attractive habitat for pollinators, the lawn area is reduced and mowing is only required once in the fall.
“Could it be any easier?” Bandini asked.
The Lynnfield Tree Committee encourages the public to recognize that there are many aspects of the natural world needing humans’ support.
“Sustaining a healthy ecosystem for insects is vital to our existence if we want to continue eating,” said Bandini. “No Mow May is not the cure, but we can all become active participants by managing our property with sustainable methods. Not mowing the lawn should be an easy place to begin.”
