Image via City of Milwaukee
No Mow May
Greater Milwaukee residents are being encouraged to participate in No Mow May, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about the global pollinator and insect crisis. The campaign, which is being organized by the non-profit sustainable landscaping initiative Midwest Grows Green, involves letting yards grow tall during the month of May to create more food, forage and shelter for critical pollinators, including bees, butterflies and other insects.
According to Ryan Anderson, the manager of Midwest Grows Green, No Mow May is an opportunity to introduce the community to ways of thinking about residential lawns and public spaces as important natural habitats for all types of insects, birds and plants. Practices such as cutting the grass less often, postponing spring clean-up until temperatures reach the 50s and growing a pollinator-friendly garden can all help increase pollinator populations in urban environments.
Local municipalities of Milwaukee, Cudahy, Shorewood, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, Greendale, Wauwatosa and Glendale have relaxed grass height restrictions for May, so their residents can participate in No Mow May this year. Many of these municipalities will also host native plant sales, green fairs and pollinator awareness events in May.
“No Mow May participation is a great introduction and first step towards being kind to invertebrates in your yard, which is incredibly important on a larger scale,” said Maggie Steinhauer, Research and Community Science Coordinator for the Urban Ecology Center.
The event aims to fill the nutrition gap for pollinators such as bumblebees, mason bees and carpenter bees, which emerge from their nests in May when not many flowers are in bloom. Leaving twigs, leaves and other lawn debris can also provide nesting spaces for native bees and forage for many caterpillars over the winter and into the early summer.
“It’s not just about not mowing. It’s about how we can each make a positive environmental impact in our own spaces,” said Anne O’Connor of Whitefish Bay Garden Club.
No Mow May is a first step towards creating a healthier environment for pollinators and insects, which are critical to the health of ecosystems and agriculture. Scientists have projected that the world loses 2.5% of insect mass per year, and initiatives such as No Mow May are necessary to help reverse this trend.
To learn more about the No Mow May campaign, visit the Midwest Grows Green website.
