Now you've got me singing "The Hills are Alive" ! I don't think this was ever intended as a single solution to helping pollinators but rather as one other option to consider for those who are looking for ways to steward their land and protect biodiversity.
If I ever own property, I would follow this initiative not only for May but throughout the season with a mere mown pathway to the compost pile, and one to the patch of Edelweiss ! Oh gosh, there I go singing again! Ha, ha! As for dandelions - it's messed up to think of one of the most nutritious, beneficial, medicinal plants on the planet as merely "invasive". Please read! Also, consider that each one of us are the true invasives! Most of us came from other parts of the world. Niot a good idea to turn against our plant allies! https://www.mofga.org/resources/weeds/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-dandelions/#:~:text=Dandelions%20are%20good%20for%20your,them%20available%20to%20other%20plants . Food for thought. ~Jai On Wed, May 3, 2023 at 8:55 PM John F. Carr <voxsciuro...@gmail.com> wrote: > As somebody who doesn't mow, I find this series of "no mow May" > promotions wildly optimistic. You do not sleep in one weekend and > look out to see Julie Andrews dancing across your lawn. You see > slightly longer grass. The Washington Post had a good story on the > subject recently. > > > https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/04/22/long-grass-helps-bees/ > > This is the key line: "creating a pollinator lawn will take a bit more > thought than just letting grass grow freely." > > If you are specifically targeting pollinators as opposed to the > thousands of insect species that don't pollinate, grass is useless. > Grass is wind pollinated. The next most likely plant to grow on a > lawn is dandelions. Dandelions are not native. They are borderline > invasive. If you are ecology-minded you don't want them. > > If you want May flowers you should expect to put them there yourself. > Seeds you plant in the spring will not bloom in May. Advance planning > is required. Others can offer specific species suggestions. But plan > on putting the plants in the ground because they are unlikely to pop > up on their own. > > Decide what kind of lawn you want. Do you want an approximation of a > suburban lawn except with more flowers? Do you want an unkempt > meadow-y look? My milkweed, mountain mint, and partridge pea give the > latter. (All of these bloom in summer, not in May.) > > Milkweed is another overhyped solution. Years after planting milkweed > I still haven't seen a monarch. I still like milkweed better than > lawn grass. Look closely in late summer and you'll see some tiny, > shiny green flies patrolling the leaves. These are predators of other > tiny bugs. I also see some larger red beetles and bugs that are > specialists on milkweed. And maybe one day people down the street > will plant milkweed and together we will have enough to catch a > monarch's attention. > > > On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 7:03 AM Robin Wilkerson > <outsideinformat...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > Happy May Day! > > > > > > A riddle: How can you do nothing and do good at the same time? > > > > Answer: Be a No Mow May-er. > > > > > > Maybe you’ve heard: There’s a green bandwagon now quietly gathering > followers and momentum around the globe, that you can hop aboard without > leaving home or lifting a finger. No Mow May is a grassroots movement, > only with less grass; and Lincolnites are participating. > > > > > > All that’s needed to join in is to spare some portion of your lawn its > regular summer haircuts for a month, specifically, the month of May. > > > > > > Happily, there are no rules or requirements for No Mow May. Maybe mow > less often, leave all, or only part of your lawn unmowed, create mowed > paths - maybe a maze, if you care to get creative. Even leaving a small > section of lawn unmowed can help the early pollinators who need sustenance > before the summer flowers are with us. In the process, you’ll help reduce > our carbon footprint, diversify our land, and possibly even make happy > discoveries along the way. > > > > > > We encourage you to take before and after photographs. Look to see what > flowers in your lawn, and what visitors arrive to take advantage of those > flowers. We are eager to see photos and stories of your experience. Email: > outsideinformat...@gmail.com > > > > > > And if you don’t have a lawn, or prefer to mow, you can still help > pollinators. > > > > Plant native plants - not cultivars. > > > > Protect natural nesting sites - make brush piles for instance. > > > > Eliminate herbicide and pesticide use. > > > > Spread the word! > > > > > > Thanks for reading this far. Now get up and do nothing! > > > > > > Lincoln Common Ground and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust > > > > > > For more information: www.lincolncommonground.com/nomowmay > > > > > > For questions: Robin Wilkerson - outsideinformat...@gmail.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Robin Wilkerson > > outsideinformat...@gmail.com > > > > > > > > > > -- > > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > > Browse the archives at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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