I'm perfectly aware that not everybody lives where I do, although it's hardly 'a wild place'
I'm just not convinced that it's particularly beneficial in every situation, that's all. Just my opinion, which I'm entitled to express.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion, I would not suggest otherwise.
I suggest that west central Scotland suffers less habitat degradation than many of the more crowded parts of the UK. There is less pressure on nature and habitats in so many ways; fewer people, fewer roads and a lot more open space etc. I think I read somewhere that insect life is less threatened there, particularly by neonicotinoid use. I love Scotland and see it as my spiritual home (that's another story) so please don't think I'm knocking your location. I think that practical initiatives that encourage awareness of the pressures on the environment are a good thing and on the whole I think No Mow May is a beneficial thing; so what if people are 'following a trend' as you put it, if it's a good trend than that's a good thing.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
I don't think people are "made to feel" anything. It's like "Dry January" - it's not guilt tripping anyone - it's just a thing people can try if they feel like it. It can offer a way to try a thing out, with support of other people doing it at the same time. All I get from the tone of the Guardian article I linked is that people trying it out feel excited by all the plants that pop up that they had no idea were there. Some people worried by "what the neighbours think" might feel they are "given permission" to enjoy the daisies and the self heal that appear. I really don't understand people who feel these kind of initiatives are some kind of Command or Dictat and feel threatened by it. It's more like the Three Peaks Challenge - investigate if it's your kind of thing.
Neighbours both sides of me don't bother too much with their lawns and the foxes sparrows, wrens love it. The small birds here are visibly much happier to forage on the ground as there is cover to hide in. My neighbours aren't following NMM and probably haven't ever heard of it (as most people haven't heard of it) but just take an ad hoc approach - it gives me a chance to watch the various changes of behaviour in our local wildlife.
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I like the idea of seeing our local garden mosaics as a falcon might - not interested in fences. Where I am, gardens are only three metres wide or so, but can offer something different. There's too much plasticked and concreted over yards, but still, some gardens here have hugely tall trees, some have long lawn, some short lawn, I have a small pond and pollinating perennials and annuals, others have dense shrubbery, bird feeders, eves that bats like to roost in. A significant proportion of council properties in our streets have entirely overgrown jungles, which, now I think of it, must be providing a lot of good habitat, though it's frustrating their neighbours.
I wonder how many people decrying No Mow May have actually read up on the initiatives objectives, results and impacts to date to fully understand the scheme before disagreeing with it?
I think some people are trying to start an argument in an empty room. You could find offence with NMM if you were really looking for it, but I can't see the point, myself.
It just sounds like a brief experiment with a rather fun survey to me, I've done similar things in past years and that's the only reason I won't be participating, I simply lack the time ATM. I've just finished planting up a new border featuring about 40 native and non-native pollinator-friendly plants (which will go up to 50 once it's edged with Origanum vulgare), so I doubt they'll be starving around here!
I posted this in the hedgehog thread, but as the subject of this thread is No Mow May, l thought l'd repeat it here.
Just a quick mention as we will soon be coming to the end of "No Mow May" and also the long Jubilee weekend. If you are planning to use a strimmer on the lawn or indeed any other area, (or you know of anyone else who might do so), please make sure that you check the area for hedgehogs before starting work. My local rescue has had a hedgehog brought in with strimmer injuries to it's back, hopefully it will be okay. Other rescues are also reporting an influx of hedgehogs with strimmer injuries, some of which are quite horrendous. Please spread the word. Many thanks 🦔
Speaking of hedgehogs and not mowing. Being naturally lazy, after a pile of sticks had been on the lawn long enough for grass to grow into it, I started to mow round it by instinct. It seems to have become a permanent fixture and there look to be round access doors to the inner so I hope it's being used by hedgehogs.
Nearby I tried a no mow area with pretty pathlines running through it and loved it. However, red ants began a campaign of earth movement and made hills in the long grass. It was a sod of a job to recover from that. The grass is now mowable again but there are scalped higher areas where I know a red ant skyscraper lies beneath. I'm not overkeen to try that again.
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I suggest that west central Scotland suffers less habitat degradation than many of the more crowded parts of the UK. There is less pressure on nature and habitats in so many ways; fewer people, fewer roads and a lot more open space etc. I think I read somewhere that insect life is less threatened there, particularly by neonicotinoid use. I love Scotland and see it as my spiritual home (that's another story) so please don't think I'm knocking your location. I think that practical initiatives that encourage awareness of the pressures on the environment are a good thing and on the whole I think No Mow May is a beneficial thing; so what if people are 'following a trend' as you put it, if it's a good trend than that's a good thing.
Just a quick mention as we will soon be coming to the end of "No Mow May" and also the long Jubilee weekend.
If you are planning to use a strimmer on the lawn or indeed any other area, (or you know of anyone else who might do so), please make sure that you check the area for hedgehogs before starting work. My local rescue has had a hedgehog brought in with strimmer injuries to it's back, hopefully it will be okay.
Other rescues are also reporting an influx of hedgehogs with strimmer injuries, some of which are quite horrendous.
Please spread the word.
Many thanks
Nearby I tried a no mow area with pretty pathlines running through it and loved it. However, red ants began a campaign of earth movement and made hills in the long grass. It was a sod of a job to recover from that. The grass is now mowable again but there are scalped higher areas where I know a red ant skyscraper lies beneath. I'm not overkeen to try that again.