published on August 31, 2024 in Front Page News

Why stop mowing your lawn and what happens when you go no-mow

Your vibrant green lawn may look lush, but it’s actually an ecological wasteland.

“The idea for that ideal lawn is that nothing else can live in it,” said David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit conservation organization. “It’s like a dense, eternally green carpet.”

As our communities have taken over wild lands, this trimmed turf has spread over tens of millions of acres across the United States, displacing native plants and leaving butterflies, birds and bees with fewer places to feed, rest and nest. As a result, their populations have plummeted.

Story continues below advertisement

But let your grass grow a few inches, and some of that wildlife starts coming back. This is the idea behind the “no mow” movement, a push across the United States and Britain to stop the use of herbicides, pesticides and gas-guzzling mowers during the month of May.

It’s a good first step, but there’s plenty you can do to make your yard more inviting to pollinators and other critters.

Here’s how:

A true pollinator lawn or garden will feed, shelter and serve as a nursery for wildlife year round — but it will require more work than just putting your mower into storage for a month. You’ll have to seek out the right native plants for your area, not just rely on what springs up if you let you grass grow. Many pollinators only feed on the nectar of specific plants.

Story continues below advertisement

But putting in the effort to convert even part of your yard helps restore much-needed habitat.

“One quarter-acre piece of land is not going to turn the tide on the decline of the songbirds or the pollinators,” Mizejewski said. “But if thousands or even millions of us do this, just do the math. It adds up.”

Have you started your lawn transformation? We would love to see how it’s going.

By submitting, you agree to our submission and discussion guidelines, including our terms of service and privacy policy.

About this story

Editing by Ana Campoy, Joe Moore and Monica Ulmanu. Copy editing by Melissa Ngo. Additional support from Julie Vitkovskaya.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLCttcyaq55lo6S5tsDIqKWsZ5mjwaa%2BwJyroq6VZH9xfpNopahlnaTEbrjAsKVmm5Gnsm7AyKmqaA%3D%3D