It’s March and Ireland is emerging from the dark and cold winter. So light-starved are we, our eagerness for the next season can mean we rush headlong into summer practices.
Who hasn’t donned a pair of sandals, bared their legs or left a jacket at home on a day that is yet too cold? There is little grass growth yet, but on a bright day, you’ll hear garden power tools excitedly plugged in and fuelled up and ready to mow.
We can fool ourselves that the brighter light means heat, and rush to do things out of sync with nature.
Pollinators such as bees and flies, however, will be right on track. This month, they emerge from hibernation.
There are more than 100 different types of bee and 180 hoverflies on the island of Ireland, says the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Along with other creatures such as moths, they provide a vital pollination service, helping fertilise flowers, wild plants and the crops we rely on for food.
Dandelions are springing up in time to meet the bees. These “weeds” are the most important source of nectar and pollen for pollinators here, says the centre. Mowing them now is detrimental to the bees.
Flout the calendar with sandals, bare arms and bare legs all you want this time of year, but – if you have grass – hold off on cutting it if you can, says the centre.
Mowing less this year is one of the best things you can do to help Ireland’s pollinators and biodiversity. Doing this can help restore pockets of species-rich grassland: a vital habitat providing food and shelter for pollinators. These grasslands have been decimated in Ireland in recent decades.
If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you could decide that 2025 will be the year you turn it, however small, into a short flowering meadow. Follow the National Biodiversity Centre’s guide and it will save you labour this summer, and money on mower power or fuel too.
The first step is easy, it’s “do nothing”. Let the dandelions bloom until mid-April. In May, do nothing too – it’s #nomowMay.
By mowing less, you give native wildflowers and insect-friendly grasses a chance to pop up naturally and help feed hungry wild bees. Buying wildflower seeds is unnecessary.
If you do mow, make sure you remove grass clippings so wildflowers can grow.
“Come June, let it bloom,” advises the centre. Or be creative by cutting pathways, spirals and shapes through the growth – just don’t cut the whole lot.
A pause from mowing in July will “help them fly”, says the guide of preserving vital insects.
If your grass gets too tall at any stage, trim it with blades raised high to save the wildflowers, leaving the corners to grow long. Or you could go the whole hog and create a long-flowering meadow by cutting just once a year in September, says the centre.
So when it comes to rushing towards summer routines, let mowing not be one of them.
