Think of it as “Movember” for your lawn.
But instead of growing a moustache during November to raise awareness for men’s health, the point is to grow out your yard in May to provide food for pollinators as they come out of hibernation. It’s called No Mow May, and the conservation initiative popularized by the United Kingdom charity Plantlife is gaining traction on this side of the pond.
Jeff Sautter is a Greenfield resident taking on the challenge, letting his lawn on Ferrante Avenue grow wild for bees and other pollinating species. A middle school science teacher in Athol, he stumbled across No Mow May information on the website of Bee City USA, an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
“I’d like a lawn but, on the other hand, I think it’s a small sacrifice to make … for pollinators that we rely on,” he said.
Sautter said three fourths of flowering plants require pollinators to reproduce and about 35% of the food Americans eat depends on pollination.
“I’m a science teacher, so I know that we’re in this great mass extinction with what humans are doing to the planet,” he said. “And insects are in peril.”
Sautter said he plans to mow eventually and plant some pollinator-friendly bushes. He lives on Ferrante Avenue with his children Vivienne, 11, and Esmé, 9.
Kay Lyons and husband Rick Roy, who live on Chapman Street, mowed their lawn for the first time this season on May 26. She said the grass and flowers grew 14 inches.
“We were glad we did it. We saw more rabbits and a few garden snakes and things,” Lyons said. “I felt a little guilty when we mowed.”
Lyons said she had heard about No Mow May but learned more about its benefits to pollinators while serving beverages and passing out literature at Greenfield Bee Fest on May 22. Bee Fest celebrates the legacy of Lorenzo Langstroth, the “father of American beekeeping” and a pastor of the Second Congregational Church in Greenfield.
Nancy Hazard, a member of Greening Greenfield, a group of concerned citizens working to build a more resilient and sustainable Greenfield, lives on Spring Terrace and is participating in No Mow May.
“Once you’ve mowed your lawn, your lawn is like a food desert to the pollinators,” she said. “The tricky part is, you want to be sure that you still can mow it, that your mower can handle it.”
Hazard said she decided to mow a portion of her lawn that was getting too thick, though the other part “looks pretty amazing.”
“It’s been fascinating. The beauty of my lawn and what has shown up in the past month has been pretty fascinating,” she said. “I’ll definitely do it again.”
More information is available online at bit.ly/3lUgPNj and bit.ly/3tpcmXd.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.