As we move closer to summer and homeowners look to manicure their properties, support for the “No Mow May” movement has come roaring back in Kingston and throughout Canada.
The idea behind it is to increase pollinator-friendly habitats throughout urban communities so newly emerged, hungry native bees have more food sources at their disposal.
The problem with that idea is that it began in the UK, where No Mow May results in native weeds that provide a good food source for bees, but in the USA and Canada our seasons are not aligned with the UK and most bees won’t be active until warmer months.
Unmowed lawns in North America are typically just yielding non-native species or invasive species that provide little to no nutritional value for bees, sometimes even carrying detrimental effects from those plants to other healthy pollinators.
In a Facebook post by Clean North, Sarah Hoida of the Nature Conservancy of Canada is quoted saying that “No Mow May” is far from a wonder solution.
“Dandelions aren’t particularly nutritious, for example, for native pollinators who have spent thousands of years evolving alongside native plants,” Hoida said.
“So letting your lawn grow can support pollinators for a time, but once it’s cut, there’s not much nutrition to be found. The NCC is now encouraging people to take the next steps towards a pollinator friendly yard by planting native species.”
In an interview with YGK News in May of 2023 Dr. Jannice Friedman, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biology, said while the perfectly manicured lawn is certainly not better than just letting it grow, people shouldn’t pat themselves on the back for making a difference by doing -literally- nothing.
“Not mowing lawns in general is actually a good thing, it’s not that lawns are better than dandelions, our lawns are pollinator deserts as well,” Friedman said.
“I think the problem is it gives people a false sense of having done something positive for the local ecosystem or biodiversity.”
If people do want to help make a difference for bees with their lawns, they can plant native species in a section of their lawn and leave that section unmowed throughout the season.
People can also simply leave the dead leaves and vegetation on their lawns during the fall for insects as a way to help contribute to biodiversity with very little effort.
In 2023, the City of Kingston wholeheartedly endorsed the “No Mow May” movement, but considering signs were provided by the Rotary Club of Kingston Frontenac, city representatives said the promotion came at no cost.
This year, Kingston city council approved “No Mow May” areas at Tuesday’s council meeting, there has not been as concerted an effort to promote the initiative but the city will still display signs in those areas and support the initiative on social media.
