AIBU to think No Mow May is a pointless pile of crap?

[RuddyNorma]

It increases allergies and ticks, causes paths and road signs to be overgrown and difficult to use, and at the end of the month it all gets chopped down anyway. It doesn't re-wild anything, it's just putting off doing outdoor chores. Plus, I'm not seeing any rebate on my council tax, even though our council has done naff all gardening for this last four weeks. AIBU to think that we do need to have some kind of initiative to support green spaces but that simply downing tools for a month isn't it?

It’s more complicated than just not mowing in May, and should be left for longer to complete the insects cycle. It’s better to keep one bit longer for longer than do no mow may and hack it back in June.

it’s a fantastic thing and should be encouraged. Some people did die near me in a serious crash that was blamed on vegetation blocking views. So, cut down the edges of roads, cut a path but leave the rest. It looks lovely, is great for wildlife, which is great for us.

we are the most nature depleted country we must do better. Take a drive in France and look at the front of your car vs a drive in Britain. Your car will have one or two flies on it here, over there splattered.
we must do better

YABU.

It isn't for re-wilding, it's to help pollinators.

We've eliminated most of the wildflower meadows in the UK, which is disastrous to insects. Insects have a really important role in our ecosystem, including for farming. Insects pollinate crops, increase yields, decompose organic material.

Well aren't you a peach?! Fuck the bees eh...

Indeed. Not much point in No Mow May when there’s nothing left to mow 😢 Plastic grass is an abomination.

It's creates wildlife corridors to enable insects to move easily, spread gene pools, strengthens insect populations and increases the chance of survival of our invaluable pollinators.

It should have been banned years ago. Flash flooding, leeching plastics into the waterways, loss of habitats. It’s disgraceful stuff.

We've eliminated most of the wildflower meadows in the UK, which is disastrous to insects. Insects have a really important role in our ecosystem, including for farming. Insects pollinate crops, increase yields, decompose organic material.

Surely a better way to address this would be to plant wildflower meadows that can be meadows all the time? Rather than having paths and roads obscured for a month and then chopping it all down after and killing off the insects anyway .

I’m not convinced by no-mow May in itself as a stand-alone thing but I think it has helped shift perceptions of what’s desirable in gardens and public spaces. Our council has started leaving long grass in some areas of the parks, which I think is the right approach - plenty of space for picnics and kids to play football, and some long grass to help wildlife and look pretty.
As the article linked above says, it would also be good to move away from the idea that anything other than grass in a lawn is a ‘bad weed’. I think opinions are shifting on this too. In the communal gardens round our flats, the grass is mowed regularly but the daisies, clover etc always pop straight back up again. Patches of yarrow become visible in summer drought as they stay greener than the surrounding grass.

Are you sure that the vegetation that is blocking your local road signs has been left up because of no mow may? Or has the council simply fallen behind on the work?

Around me more grass verges have been left to grow wild but shrubs and trees have still been cut back for road safety.

I love the additional wild flowers being able to bloom and only mow segments of my garden to encourage them.

Edges of paths and around road signs need to be cut back but leaving the rest is great for wildlife and looks beautiful

Where is the spare fields and space to do that?

as another poster says it creates wildlife corridors to link habitats together. Otherwise they are jigsaw pieces without ever linking

It should be No Mow May, June, July. One month isn't enough.

Agree about safety issues on road junctions etc, but otherwise it's an important initiative for biodiversity and is hopefully starting to shift the perception of what our green spaces (public and private) should look like.

Our lawn is only strimmed a couple of times a year and it's lush, green and teeming with wildlife.

My guess is this isn’t no mow May by your council but just getting caught out by lots of rain and warmth meaning the grass is growing quicker

It’s a pile of shite generally used as an excuse by folks who can’t be arsed mowing their lawn.

Where is the spare fields and space to do that?

Anywhere in the 93% of the UK that isn't built on would do.

Well given that we've destroyed 97% of meadows since the Second World War I don't hold out a lot of hope for that. Anyway, for all the reasons given on the last 2 pages there should be as much space as possible given over to it. Obviously not dangerous around signs, road turnings etc but leave the rest of it to nature (you do realise that includes us... and our ability to survive?)

Can't be arsed, or are not interested in having a boring, useless monoculture? Lawns are entirely unnecessary in many cases.

It helps insects survive which helps everything else up the food chain - including you survive

But hey who needs food ?

That'll be farmland to you know, to grow crops on and graze livestock. You're really not thinking this through are you

Agree

Anyone mentioning ticks, that’s a too many deer problem, not a long grass problem.

I’m all for no mow May, ideally would like to see it wild for longer, we need to stop tidying things that don’t need tidying.

It also helps combat climate change apparently- so don't moan about the weather any more if you won't change your way of living to prevent it

Each extra degree of warming means something like 10% wetter for the uk

…and how many accidents have there been at this overgrown roundabout ? Probably none …

Making people slow down, and take thier time isn’t necessarily a bad thing

I particularly like the way it hides all the dog shit so you cant see what you're stepping in.

Nice work council.

Same here, so long as the important things are cleared, what on earth is the point of mowing verges that are never walked on? Leave them for the insects.