No Mow May has arrived and with it an excuse to put the mower away and put your feet up instead. The annual campaign from conservation charity Plantlife encourages people to let their lawns grow long to benefit wildlife, and this year, Butterfly Conservation is encouraging people to keep the mower in the shed for even longer to help the UK’s struggling butterflies and moths.
Butterflies and moths need long grass throughout the spring and summer. Recent research from Butterfly Conservation has shown that allowing patches of grass to grow long can boost butterfly numbers by up to 93%.
With more than half of the UK’s butterflies now in long-term decline, and gardens making up more than 728,000 hectares in Great Britain (that’s the equivalent of over a million football pitches!) it’s more important than ever that gardeners make space for butterflies.
Taking the small step of leaving a patch of grass to grow long in each of these gardens could make a huge difference for butterflies and moths. Over 3,000 people have already pledged to grow their grass long this summer.
Why not join them and allow some of your grass to grow long too?