Mind The June Gap!

Did you notice last month, that “No Mow May” has taken root as a trend in gardens in Ireland?

Allowing our lawns to grow into mini wildflower meadows is a superbly simple way to do a little rewilding close to home… 🐝🏡💐

But now May is over! So what next for wildflowers, pollinators, lawns - and us ourselves?

This “no mow” trend is a wonderful development for pollinators, especially given that Ireland - being such a famously great place for growing grass - is an island dotted everywhere with lawns large and small.

Even here at Rewilding.ie HQ in Co. Donegal - after only a couple of seasons of  what amounts to essentially a “lazy” approach to lawn management, mowing only a few times in the year - we can see the absolute abundance of pollinator activity and floral diversity (and, admittedly, a good deal of moss!).

You can see for yourself in the picture, just how vibrant and lively a lawn can become when it is allowed to bloom.

Framing the issue very well is the article out today in The Journal which makes the case that “No Mow May” should be left to run on into June and July... Written by Paul Handrick AKA The Bee Guy, who reckons “that No Mow May is not enough…” He reckons “we need Too Soon June and Leave It High July.”

And at Rewilding.ie we must say The Bee Guy makes a compelling argument! Pollinators can benefit from our support right through the year - because mid-summer can actually be a very challenging time for pollinators.

Beekeepers know very well the phenomenon of scarcity known as “The June Gap”. This is a temporary decline in the availability of pollen and nectar - usually occurring in mid-summer. So even though the sun is shining, there can be thin pickings for different species of bees, butterflies and other pollinators living across our landscape.

Beekeepers usually keep a keen eye on their Honey Bees during this challenging “June Gap” period - ready to step in to give them a helping hand.

But it isn’t just about beekeepers helping Honey Bees. There are so many ways that we can all look out for the wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators, too.

A simple strategy that can be easily implemented is this: If you need to mow, mow defined pathways and patterns in the grass, or take a phased approach to tending your lawn. This means you can still create the usable areas of short grass for walking, playing, having picnics, lounging in the sun and so forth - but at the same time. taking a less homogenous approach to lawn care helps to maximise a diverse range of pollen and nectar sources throughout the summer.

It seems that we are all learning an important lesson: it isn’t just beekeepers who have the power to help bees!

Literally everyone can play a part in boosting the chances of all of our pollinators have a better chance of surviving the relatively lean spells. And as it happens, one of these tricky and lean times does fall soon after No-Mow May…