“No Mow May” Might be Tough in 2024 for Connecticut

Today is Friday, April 12, 2024, and it was 59 degrees at 4:45AM this morning in Western Connecticut. We've heard the Spring Peepers already, and it's been over 70 degrees. For the sake of the bees of Connecticut, I won't do it, but it might be tough to make it to June 1 without mowing our lawns this year.

I first heard the phrase "No Mow May" a couple of years ago, the phrase originated in the United Kingdom by an organization named Plantlife, and the purpose behind it is to allow flowers to bloom on your lawn in order to help out early season pollinators, you know, the bees. According to plantlife.org.uk, 97% of the UK's flower-filled meadows have disappeared since the 1930's, eliminating an enormous amount of food sources for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. The movement has now crossed the Atlantic, and many of our neighbors have started to adopt it here in Connecticut.

Get our free mobile app

Does the 'No Mow May' movement work? Like everything in this world, the opinions online are mixed. The design firm Monarchgard.com states that if we live in an urban environment, say the bigger cities of Connecticut, letting our lawns grow wild for more than 6 weeks might not work because the wild flowers we were hoping to appear might not naturally occur in our area. Native flowers and plants sometimes have to be planted? Hmmm.

Already, our condo complex in Torrington is showing signs of weed growth, some have already sprouted up to mid-calf. Before you report your neighbor to your city's blight overlords, you may want to ask them if they're doing for the bugs.