Don’t mow in May, green campaigners urge gardeners
LAY off the lawn this month is the message to North East gardeners to help vital pollinators such as bees.
Urban Green Newcastle, through its Beelines North East partnership with Northumberland Wildlife Trust, is backing conservation charity Plantlife’s “No Mow May” campaign.
The independent charity, responsible for the management and the upkeep of the 33 parks and 61 allotment sites in Newcastle, is taking part in the campaign which urges householders, farmers, and organisations to not mow grass and lawns for the duration of May.
This is to allow nectar-rich wildflowers typically identified as weeds such as dandelions, clover, daisies, selfheal and buttercup to flower in parks and on lawns to ensuring bees and other pollinators have access to the plants’ pollen and nectar.
The highest production of flowers and nectar sugar is on lawns cut once every four weeks. This gives small plants like daisies and clover a chance to flower in profusion, which can boost nectar production tenfold.
Urban Green Newcastle is responsible for the management and upkeep of sites such as Heaton Park, Tyne Riverside Country Park, Paddy Freemans and Exhibition Park.
Sections of more than 20 parks have been designated as part of No Mow May and will continue to have limited cuts for the remainder of the year to help biodiversity.
Urban Green Newcastle is working with Northumberland Wildlife Trust to deliver Beelines North East, a project which will create a network of 45 nectar-rich public sites – including the planting of 2,500 trees, 25,000 bulbs and creating 18 hectares of grassland. The work will target young people, with traineeships available including for young offenders, alongside volunteering and schools involvement.
Ed Chivers, project manager for Beelines North East, said: “The UK has lost approximately 97% of its wildflower meadows over the last 100 years.
“We can all play our part in helping to restore some of this vital habitat to help our bees, bugs and butterflies thrive again.
“We are encouraging everyone to get involved in No Mow May by leaving a patch of their lawn for nature and celebrating the results by sharing their photos with us online and tagging @urbangreenncl and using the hashtag #BeelinesNE.”
Beelines North East will incorporate events throughout the year for communities, schools, families and nature enthusiasts to be involved in
The Natural History Society of Northumbria is this year continuing its North East Bee Hunt project, alongside a partner initiative to log sightings of ladybirds.
Last year volunteers contributed 4,665 bee recordings, covering 44 species.
The 2021 results show the red-tailed bumblebee was the most encountered target species, followed by the tree bumblebee. All 17 of the North East’s bumblebees were seen.
Last year, volunteers also shared 1,413 sightings across 18 species in the North East Ladybird Spot project, which will contribute to the first atlas of North East ladybirds to be produced once the exercise ends. The society said: “Bees and ladybirds are vitally important, with bees being important pollinators of crops and wildflowers and ladybirds as ‘gardener’s friends’, in helping provide natural pest control.”