HALF OF GARDENERS WILL LET GRASS GROW IN MAY TO HELP NATURE
- Plantlife's No Mow May campaign urges people to leave the mower in the shed
- Allowing lawn to remain uncut allows wildflowers to bloom to support wildlife
- Charity says impact could be significant if millions left even a patch to grow wild
Nearly half of all gardeners will be helping nature and wildflowers by not mowing their lawn more than once in May, a survey has found.
Plantlife's No Mow May campaign urges people to leave the mower in the shed for the month.
This allows the lawn to grow shaggy so wildflowers can bloom, which in turn will support bees, butterflies and other wildlife.
The wildlife charity says 46 per cent of more than 2,000 people say they will not mow their lawn more than once in May.
A further 33 per cent said they would mow once a fortnight or every three weeks, and less than a fifth (18 per cent) were planning a weekly cut, while just 3 per cent more frequently than that, the polling by Opinion Matters found.
Plantlife says more councils are also backing the move as part of efforts to create space for wild plants and wildlife, and to combat the climate crisis by lowering carbon emissions.
The charity has invited local authorities to show their support for the first time this year, with more than 40 signing up to efforts to manage verges and green spaces for nature.
The polling for Plantlife showed that people understand the importance of wilder lawns for nature, with nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) believing that leaving lawns unmown for a month or more helps butterflies, bees and other wildlife.
And 84 per cent considered it important to look after the environment and support conservation efforts in their everyday lives.
Less than a fifth (17 per cent) thought maintaining a neat appearance to their lawns through regular mowing was more important than supporting wildlife by letting the lawn grow more.
Ian Dunn, chief executive of Plantlife, said: 'Support for Plantlife's campaign is blossoming beautifully as people recognise the benefits to plants, people, pollinators and planet of mowing less and later for nature.
'The small act of giving the mower a month off, and then mowing less through the summer, can make a big difference at a time when we face interlinked climate and biodiversity emergencies.'
Plantlife says there could be a significant impact from providing wilder grass habitat - even if it is just a small patch of lawn - across millions of gardens in the UK.
Around 97 per cent of wildflower meadows have been lost in less than a century, with once widespread plants such as ragged Robin and field scabious now on the near threatened list in England, the conservation organisation warns.
After No Mow May, Plantlife recommends less frequent mowing through the summer.
Mowing twice a year will maintain a meadow and mowing every four to six weeks will create a shorter reflowering lawn where plants such as bugle, selfheal, red clover and lady's bedstraw can thrive, the charity said.
No Mow May comes after research by another wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation found leaving a patch of grass in the garden to grow long boosted butterfly numbers, particularly in towns or areas of intensive agriculture.
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