​South Petherwin Cake & Rakers

It’s not often you can make a big difference by doing absolutely nothing! The conservation charity Plantlife is behind a campaign to encourage us all to say no to the mow throughout the month of May.

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Leaving the lawn to grow will benefit bees, butterflies and other wildlife at a crucial time for pollinators. Plantlife’s Every Flower Counts survey found that lawns mowed only once a month supported 10 times as many bees as those mown weekly because of the increase in available nectar.

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This is the difference you can make by simply leaving the mower in the shed for a few weeks. You may also find your lawn hosts a greater range of flowers than you’d expect – the survey found 200 different types of flower in participant’s lawns, not just daisies and clover although they are just as valuable to pollinators as the rarities.

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If you can’t quite bring yourself to leave the whole lawn to grow, maybe consider leaving some wide margins just for these few weeks.