Help the bees this May – stop mowing your lawn

Did you know that just five daisies, two dandelions, and five buttercups provide enough nectar for a bee for one day? With bee populations continuing to decline worldwide, now is the time to act to save our precious pollinators. 

Which is why the conservation charity Plantlife are launching the No Mow May campaign, which invites gardeners to stop mowing their lawns throughout the month of May and then counting how many flowers they have on their lawns on the 25th to 27th May. 

Taking part in the campaign is very simple – it requires you to do literally nothing, apart from putting your lawnmower away. You can watch a YouTube video to learn more about No Mow May and how it will help pollinators. 

• Wildflower seeds: mixes and Beebombs to create a bee-friendly garden 

Plantlife’s Botanical Expert Dr Trevor Dines comments, 'This is citizen science at its most exciting. We’re calling on gardeners all over the UK to help us take the pulse of our nation’s lawns. By leaving our mowers in the shed for “No Mow May”, we’ll give billions of plants a chance to flower. 

'Then during the late May Bank Holiday weekend (25th to 27th May), our brand new Every Flower Counts activity will tell us which flowers take poll position on our lawns and how much nectar they’re producing. You’ll receive your own Personal Nectar Score showing you how many bees your lawn can support, and we’ll combine the results to show just how important the UK's lawns are for our beleaguered pollinators.'

• Find out how to create a bee-friendly garden to will provide food for bees throughout the summer