‘No Mow May’ is a little helpful, but native plants are better, experts say

Several suburbs will see hundreds of unwieldy lawns next month as homeowners partake in “No Mow” programs, which exempt residents from local mowing codes in the name of providing shelter and food for early spring pollinators.

The hands-off lawn care practice, which originated in England, has been gaining traction across North America over the last five years, and suburban communities such as Westmont, Glenview, Lombard and Northbrook are gearing up for another year of “No Mow” programs, including “No Mow 'til Mother's Day” and “Slow Mow May.”

While the trend has been celebrated for bringing awareness to the needs of pollinators, local experts say in reality, “No Mow” only helps the critters marginally. The key is the trend’s origin. Organizers say a spring lawn that grows longer and lets flowers bloom provides habitat, nectar and pollen for pollinators like native butterflies and bees. But turf grass and common flowering weeds are not native here in America.

“(In England), the idea makes a lot of sense. Things like dandelions and clover and a lot of those things are actually native over there, and are adapted to the pollinators,” said Jamie Viebach, a horticulture educator with Illinois Extension’s Naperville office. “Over here, those things are all considered weeds — they're not native. Our pollinators are not adapted to use them as well.”

And while the habitat provided after a month of not mowing can offer shelter for pollinators and other insects, the critters will nevertheless be in for a rude awakening under the mower’s blades come June 1.

Diane Blazek of the National Garden Bureau, a nonprofit gardening education organization based in Downers Grove, added that leaving your lawn unmowed for the month could also reap unforeseen consequences, such as encouraging pests and weeds, and even harming your turf grass.

That’s not to conclude the practice is entirely unhelpful. Experts say “No Mow” does bring awareness to the plight of pollinators struggling to find food and shelter in an increasingly urbanized world.

“Pollinators are in decline not only in Illinois but worldwide,” according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “Habitat loss, pesticide use, mites, competition from nonnative species and diseases are killing pollinators.”

“No Mow” programs also encourage homeowners to cut down on the amount of resources they put into their lawns.

“Maintaining lawns takes a ton of inputs. People use fertilizer and herbicides and a ton of water. The data is that in some residential areas, 30 to 60% of potable water goes towards keeping lawns green,” said Becky Barak, a conservation scientist with the Chicago Botanic Garden. “The mowers, especially gas mowers, put out a lot of carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change. … I think there's definitely benefits to putting less inputs into your lawn.”

When it comes to supporting pollinators, the best way to help is by providing resources for them not just during one month — but for the majority of the year, Blazek said.

“Plan your wildflowers, plan your perennials, plan your annuals so that you have something from March until November or until the frost kills things,” she said. “If you're wanting to be the best for pollinators, you want a wide diversity of plants and you want them blooming from as early as possible until as late as possible.”

Native plants also fit in with the “No Mow” spirit of helping insects in exchange for less yard work.

“Going back to the easy part, many native plants are much less expensive and easier to maintain because they don't require additions of fertilizers and they don't need to be watered all through the summer,” Viebach said. “They're adapted to this climate. They don't mind our heavy clay soils. They don't mind our hot, dry summers and our cool, wet springs. They're perfectly adapted to these climates, and so require much, much less energy to maintain.”

To take it one step further, homeowners can also consider turf grass alternatives that also require less resources while providing more support to local ecology. At Chicago Botanic Garden, Barak is leading research to rethink traditional lawns.

The team is testing out a variety of options on-site and at a handful of Chicago Park District locations. Alternatives range from one-to-one substitutes like low-growing fine fescue and white clover mixes, all the way to a mix of native sedges and wildflowers to create a short meadow.

A lot of the alternatives Barak’s team is researching have deeper roots, allowing them to absorb more storm water while not needing to be watered as much as regular turf grass. Many of the plants also have the potential to store more carbon underground.

“In the few years I've been studying this, there have been so many people that want to talk about their yard and changes that they want to make,” Barak said. “There is really a movement that is growing away from traditional turf grass lawns. I think people are really recognizing just how much input there is, and how that's not good for climate change and water use and all of those things.”

Viebach encourages gardeners and homeowners to continue growing.

“The best thing is just to keep learning, right? Hopefully, the goal is to learn more and do better and learn what we can do to be kinder to our pollinators, and our other local wildlife,” she said.

For lawn and gardening advice and resources, homeowners can reach the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Plant Information Service at (847) 835-0972. They can also find their local Illinois Extension office at extension.illinois.edu/global/where-we-serve.

• Jenny Whidden, jwhidden@dailyherald.com, is a climate change and environment writer working with the Daily Herald through a partnership with Report For America supported by The Nature Conservancy. To help support her work with a tax-deductible donation, see dailyherald.com/rfa.