No Mow May? Better Solutions for our Backyards to Create Season Long Benefits
The no mow may movement started back in 2019 in an effort to revitalize backyard wildlife by refraining from lawn care for an entire month. As we get ready to turn the calendar to May, and the buzz to mow or not to mow comes to mind, here are some thoughts to consider.
There are better long term and health reasons to consider an alternate solution to enhance a balanced ecosystem for both humans and our wildlife and pollinators. When you temporarily create a new habitat for creatures for a month by not mowing, and then abruptly remove it, you have only helped on a short-term basis. When you begin mowing, you have removed the newfound habitat. Also, in our area, you have also created an enhanced area around your home and property for disease carrying ticks when they are most prevalent in spring.
A better solution to encourage supporting local wildlife is to section off a part of your yard and support local wildlife by planting native plants and other pollinator attracting greenery. Creating a permanent area versus a temporary area better supports wildlife all season long, rather than just one month and then suddenly removing that habitat.
Keeping a maintained area around your home and property also keeps out unwanted rodents and ticks, enhancing the health of humans and pets by keeping a healthy barrier around your home. Wisconsin is home to only a few common tick species, but some pose significant medical concerns for both humans and pets, such as Lymes Disease. (source: University of Wisconsin Madison Medical Entomology: The ABCs of Tick Season in Wisconsin). Ticks like to live on plants such as tall weedy grasses, waiting for mammals such as people and dogs to pass by. Steering clear of these areas can help reduce the chances of encountering ticks. Not mowing for a month creates a tall grass environment that favors a habitat ticks thrive in.
Our recommendation, create balance in your backyard by maintaining a healthy backyard space around your property all season long and add pollinator and bird friendly plants and vegetation in a permanent area to support backyard wildlife and keep unwanted visitors to a minimum. Creating a permanent area allows for better nesting, pollination, habitat and food sources for our backyard friends.
Green Lawn can help you support a balanced, healthy and vibrant backyard through responsible water usage. Create and maintain a healthy landscape with a custom designed sprinkler system. We utilize smart irrigation controllers, drip irrigation and all the water saving components and technology to responsibly use our water resource. Need help with implementing wildlife friendly landscapes? We partner with many landscape professionals throughout our area and can help direct you to landscape expert to create a property that meets your goals.