Mr. Rather and Mr. Kirschner, are of course extremely articulate in conveying clearly their opinions and ideas - it’s not a surprise because of their stature, I am a fan. Spurred by their inspiring phrases, I did some research about bees. Hence, I came to my senses and realized that, yes indeed, skipping lawn mowing in May is good for the bee population. It is the month when the seasonal weeds are in bloom and the worker bees are mostly active gathering nectars, for their hives, to feed the Queen Bees - the ones responsible for reproduction.
Henceforth, in spring, I will leave the flowering weeds to flourish and bloom in my backyard, where I have unhindered control.
My second husband and I were avid bee keepers and had 40 hives around our very small county in Los Alamos NM. It’s an amazing, rewarding, but sometimes painful hobby! We sold honey at our local farmers market.
We experienced the devastating experience of hive collapse in several of our hives and understanding the importance of keeping bees healthy.
So good to hear of No Mow May.. thanks for spreading the word!
I, for one, have never heard of "No Mow May". But I do own about two acres around my house, most of which are covered by lawn. So hey - I´m on board. Thanks for spreading the word.
Lady Bird Johnson did this with wildflowers in Texas and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It is nice to hear. We can have heavy land use but also so important also work to preserve it too.
For a couple years I lived in a house that had been owned by an old Italian guy who was an award-winning gardener. There was a big yard with a great variety of plants and I noticed this acted as a haven for all manner of creatures. From the worms and creepy crawlies in the soil to the multiple birds nests, that garden was a beautiful hub of activity. I have disdain for the typical shallow arguments hawked by homeowner associations in this regard. It seems so elementary, but there you have it. Thank you Dan Rather, for mentioning the NYT article.
My backyard is a carpet of green moss that looks just as good as a grass lawn. Zoysia in the front yard does not grow until June! Sometimes I wish the bees would stick to the flowers and leave me alone.
Thank you for this essay. I particularly appreciate this: "What I find so inspiring about this article and the larger No Mow May movement is its recognition that we humans are foolhardy to try to control nature — that in our homogenization of our landscapes, our search for tidiness and uniformity, we not only miss out on the beautiful wildness of Earth's diversity, but we also do real damage to its function." Very true and real.
What a fascinating and relevant piece. I recently attended a play in Cincinnati at our local Ensemble Theatre called "Queen," written by Madhuri Shekar, that was about two PhD candidates who had spent the better part of the last decade exhaustively researching vanishing bee populations. The play not only contained extensive information about the impact of the loss of the bee population, but when the researchers discovered some of their data was incorrect, it resulted in an ethical and environmental crisis for both of them. I left the theatre with much to ponder....
Love this! When I lived in NY I refused to use chemicals on my lawn, and in the spring I would have a lovely carpet of yellow and purple, dandelions and wild violets. I live in Tucson, AZ (no lawn now), but I refuse to use the chemicals that so many people here use to keep their landscape rocks "weed" free. As a result, I have an abundance of wildflowers that attract birds as well as bees. Still trying to identify them all. Thankfully, I have never had a Homeowner's Association to fine me for keeping things more natural.
What a wonderful idea, Ina. I've never done that formally, but I work with college graduate students and often brag about my wildflowers. Also tell my neighbors. Recently a young lawn care salesperson approached me and said my yard looked like it really needed professional lawn care because of the "weeds." I very clearly told him that I pull the (the crabgrass) weeds by hand. What is left is wildflowers. I have identified some of them. Fleabane is getting dense this year after a couple of years of leaving it. (My cats don't have fleas, either..) Another one, yellow fiddle neck, attracts flocks of lesser goldfinches every spring. I've lived here almost 3 years now, and the spring carpet of color just gets better and better.
What a wonderful way with words you have, Grace. Maybe you could arrange a visit to your home by the grad students (outdoor only with COVID still a thing of course), and point out the "spring carpet of flowers," ask if they can ID any, and maybe ask them what comes to mind after they learn just what animals and insects you're attracting, and what that does for your cats, and the environment?
Even better, maybe invite them for a hike in the Saguaro National Park to see the flowers there. Many of our students are already avid hikers, though, and I might be preaching to the choir. We are Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and our emphasis is on sustainability. Honestly, it was that pairing of Chemical Engineering with a care for the environment that attracted me to the position when I took it in 2018.
Fabulous study. Great for all. And yes, the environmental outing sounds peachy. Since they're already in the fold, maybe you can turn them on to turning younger kids on. (I did this after creating workshop module for Jane Goodall R&S -- very fulfilling, combined literacy with kindness to animals and environment.) I just worry about our poor planet, but young folks are really engaged, and if not, open to becoming so, as you know.
I am an early childhood educator and my kiddos used to pick me " flowers" aka dandelions. A few years ago I started telling them that the bees needed the flowers more than I did. It made for a really good learning opportunity for my preschoolers.
Thank you for spreading this story! Hopefully more towns will pick it up! Another bee friendly initiative is to stop mowing the medians on highways.
Mr. Rather and Mr. Kirschner, are of course extremely articulate in conveying clearly their opinions and ideas - it’s not a surprise because of their stature, I am a fan. Spurred by their inspiring phrases, I did some research about bees. Hence, I came to my senses and realized that, yes indeed, skipping lawn mowing in May is good for the bee population. It is the month when the seasonal weeds are in bloom and the worker bees are mostly active gathering nectars, for their hives, to feed the Queen Bees - the ones responsible for reproduction.
Henceforth, in spring, I will leave the flowering weeds to flourish and bloom in my backyard, where I have unhindered control.
Jaime Tanigue SAN Francisco
Hi Dan! I’m Nathan Anderson’s mom Shari.
My second husband and I were avid bee keepers and had 40 hives around our very small county in Los Alamos NM. It’s an amazing, rewarding, but sometimes painful hobby! We sold honey at our local farmers market.
We experienced the devastating experience of hive collapse in several of our hives and understanding the importance of keeping bees healthy.
So good to hear of No Mow May.. thanks for spreading the word!
I, for one, have never heard of "No Mow May". But I do own about two acres around my house, most of which are covered by lawn. So hey - I´m on board. Thanks for spreading the word.
Great idea! And it provides a little rest for the gardener.
Well at the least there is hope bees will find a way even if the lawn is mowed around flower beds.
I want to plant clover seed instead of grass seed this spring.
That's a good idea !
Lady Bird Johnson did this with wildflowers in Texas and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It is nice to hear. We can have heavy land use but also so important also work to preserve it too.
For a couple years I lived in a house that had been owned by an old Italian guy who was an award-winning gardener. There was a big yard with a great variety of plants and I noticed this acted as a haven for all manner of creatures. From the worms and creepy crawlies in the soil to the multiple birds nests, that garden was a beautiful hub of activity. I have disdain for the typical shallow arguments hawked by homeowner associations in this regard. It seems so elementary, but there you have it. Thank you Dan Rather, for mentioning the NYT article.
My backyard is a carpet of green moss that looks just as good as a grass lawn. Zoysia in the front yard does not grow until June! Sometimes I wish the bees would stick to the flowers and leave me alone.
Thank you for this essay. I particularly appreciate this: "What I find so inspiring about this article and the larger No Mow May movement is its recognition that we humans are foolhardy to try to control nature — that in our homogenization of our landscapes, our search for tidiness and uniformity, we not only miss out on the beautiful wildness of Earth's diversity, but we also do real damage to its function." Very true and real.
What a fascinating and relevant piece. I recently attended a play in Cincinnati at our local Ensemble Theatre called "Queen," written by Madhuri Shekar, that was about two PhD candidates who had spent the better part of the last decade exhaustively researching vanishing bee populations. The play not only contained extensive information about the impact of the loss of the bee population, but when the researchers discovered some of their data was incorrect, it resulted in an ethical and environmental crisis for both of them. I left the theatre with much to ponder....
I’m in
Love this! When I lived in NY I refused to use chemicals on my lawn, and in the spring I would have a lovely carpet of yellow and purple, dandelions and wild violets. I live in Tucson, AZ (no lawn now), but I refuse to use the chemicals that so many people here use to keep their landscape rocks "weed" free. As a result, I have an abundance of wildflowers that attract birds as well as bees. Still trying to identify them all. Thankfully, I have never had a Homeowner's Association to fine me for keeping things more natural.
How lovely! Have you ever tbought of reaching out to young people to share your reasoning, and the soul-nourishing results?
What a wonderful idea, Ina. I've never done that formally, but I work with college graduate students and often brag about my wildflowers. Also tell my neighbors. Recently a young lawn care salesperson approached me and said my yard looked like it really needed professional lawn care because of the "weeds." I very clearly told him that I pull the (the crabgrass) weeds by hand. What is left is wildflowers. I have identified some of them. Fleabane is getting dense this year after a couple of years of leaving it. (My cats don't have fleas, either..) Another one, yellow fiddle neck, attracts flocks of lesser goldfinches every spring. I've lived here almost 3 years now, and the spring carpet of color just gets better and better.
What a wonderful way with words you have, Grace. Maybe you could arrange a visit to your home by the grad students (outdoor only with COVID still a thing of course), and point out the "spring carpet of flowers," ask if they can ID any, and maybe ask them what comes to mind after they learn just what animals and insects you're attracting, and what that does for your cats, and the environment?
Even better, maybe invite them for a hike in the Saguaro National Park to see the flowers there. Many of our students are already avid hikers, though, and I might be preaching to the choir. We are Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and our emphasis is on sustainability. Honestly, it was that pairing of Chemical Engineering with a care for the environment that attracted me to the position when I took it in 2018.
Fabulous study. Great for all. And yes, the environmental outing sounds peachy. Since they're already in the fold, maybe you can turn them on to turning younger kids on. (I did this after creating workshop module for Jane Goodall R&S -- very fulfilling, combined literacy with kindness to animals and environment.) I just worry about our poor planet, but young folks are really engaged, and if not, open to becoming so, as you know.
I am an early childhood educator and my kiddos used to pick me " flowers" aka dandelions. A few years ago I started telling them that the bees needed the flowers more than I did. It made for a really good learning opportunity for my preschoolers.