Every May, some front yards intentionally go wild. “No Mow May” — a month-long initiative encouraging homeowners to skip mowing and let lawn flowers bloom freely — has spread to hundreds of American communities since 2020.
The idea is simple: Give pollinators emerging from winter a ready food source at a critical moment. But does it work — and with cities now moving on, is it still relevant? We talked to experts to find out.
What Is ‘No Mow May’?
“No Mow May” originated in the United Kingdom in 2019, launched by the conservation nonprofit Plantlife. It came to the U.S. in 2020 through the city of Appleton, Wisconsin, which convinced its city council to suspend its weed ordinance for the month, with over 430 residents participating. Since then, hundreds of communities have joined in.
The goal is straightforward: By not mowing, flowering “weeds” like dandelions and clover bloom freely during a critical window when pollinators — bees, butterflies, and other insects — emerge from winter dormancy hungry and in need of food sources.
The benefits of “No Mow May” go beyond feeding pollinators, though: Letting grass grow builds deeper root systems, improves soil health, and reduces carbon emissions from gas-powered mowers.
As Matthew Shepherd, director of outreach & education for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, puts it, “‘No Mow May’ is an excellent introduction to how we can change landscaping practices to benefit bees and other pollinators. It sparks community-wide conversations that can lead to lasting change.”
See Related:
— How Dandelions Benefit You and Your Yard
— 8 Reasons to Plant a Clover Lawn
The Controversy – and How Cities Are Responding
Despite its good intentions, experts have raised significant concerns — and some cities that once embraced “No Mow May” are now moving past it.
The core critique is that a single month simply isn’t enough. Shepherd is candid about the limitations:
“‘No Mow May,’ if done in a simple way — don’t mow for a few weeks and then carry on mowing as if nothing happened — doesn’t bring much benefit for bees. If your lawn has no flowers, then you won’t even get that…and any benefits will be canceled if you power up your mower and restart as if nothing has changed once June arrives.
“We can’t pat ourselves on the back and say, ‘Yay, we saved the bees.'”
There are other practical concerns too:
Timing varies by region. The “May” in “No Mow May” works reasonably well for the Midwest and Northeast, but the Pacific Northwest and parts of the East Coast may see more benefit from skipping April mowing instead. Arizona might do better with a “No Mow March.”
It works only if your lawn has weeds. If you maintain a pristine, weed-free turf, a month without mowing just gives you taller grass — no flowers, no benefit for pollinators.
The rebound can backfire. Bees communicate food sources to each other through the “waggle dance” and will return to an unmowed lawn repeatedly throughout May. When it’s suddenly mowed again, their disorientation can make them more vulnerable to predators. And when homeowners rush to cut down overgrown grass, they may emit more exhaust than they saved during May — negating the environmental benefit.
The food isn’t that nutritious. Compared to flowering dogwood, apple trees, milkweed, and coneflowers, dandelions, especially on their own, provide little nutritional value.
Sara Stricker of the Guelph Turfgrass Institute equates it to feeding 100 guests at a wedding. You’re not going to “put out one bowl of chips, [you’re] going to put out a buffet.”
Bees also “prefer tree pollen over dandelions,” she says, which has been observed at the University of Guelph’s Honey Bee Research Centre (unpublished data).
Policy Changes That Support Pollinators Year-Round
These concerns are now translating into policy changes. In April 2026, East Lansing’s city council voted unanimously to retire its annual “No Mow May” enforcement pause, replacing it with a permanent year-round framework.
The council said the new framework “provides a more meaningful and lasting foundation for ecological stewardship than a temporary pause, and residents are encouraged to pursue pollinator-supportive landscaping year-round.”
Under the new rules, native gardens and lawn areas exceeding the standard 6-inch height limit can qualify for exemption, as long as they are purposefully cultivated, clearly delimited, composed of plants native to the region, and actively maintained — not simply the result of neglect.
East Lansing isn’t alone. Green Bay, Wisconsin has also announced it will no longer participate in “No Mow May,” saying that “while the initiative generated valuable awareness…, the City is shifting toward a more sustainable, long-term approach” — including a new program called “Growing Green,” which will offer residents native plant guides and city-sponsored resources.
The trend reflects a broader reckoning with No Mow May’s limits: The catchy name and simple ask made it a great entry point, but the one-size-fits-all, one-month framework was always an imperfect vessel for a more complex ecological goal.
What Actually Helps Pollinators
The expert consensus is that year-round habitat beats a month-long mowing break. Shepherd puts it plainly: “Bee conservation shouldn’t revolve around allowing dandelions and other weeds to grow. We know that at best, lawns provide limited benefits, and at worst, none at all.”
Here’s what makes a real difference:
- Add native flowering plants and trees. Stricker recommends native trees like maple, poplar, and basswood, which produce far more pollen than any lawn flower. For European honeybees specifically, which help pollinate crops, she suggests native European plants in the rose and apple family. Native plants that bloom across the seasons give pollinators a reliable, nutritious food source from spring through fall.
- Create a dedicated pollinator patch. Designate a section of your yard for wildflowers, native plants, or a butterfly garden — and leave it unmowed for the whole season, not just May.
- Provide nesting habitat. Shepherd recommends growing shrubs with hollow or pithy twigs, leaving plant stems standing over winter, and keeping dead trees or snags in place. If this isn’t feasible in your yard, try adding bee blocks. “It’s better to have artificial nest sites than none,” he says.
- Add water. A small rain garden or shallow water source gives pollinators somewhere to drink.
- Adjust your mowing habits year-round. Raise your mower deck and reduce mowing frequency to let clover and dandelions bloom between cuts — rather than eliminating them entirely for a month before snapping back to normal.
- Be thoughtful with chemicals. Avoid pesticide applications at dusk, when bees are most active, and look for natural alternatives where possible.
- Skip the fall cleanup. Leaving leaves and plant stems through winter gives pollinators critical overwintering habitat.
My Approach: I want to make sure there are plenty of helpful little guys pollinating my apple tree, raspberry canes, and tomato plants.
To support them, I have designated areas in my yard where I plant a mix of flowering plants that attract pollinators. Along with water sources, we keep hummingbird feeders filled, and when adding to the landscaping, I look for native plants whenever possible. I also carefully select products when treating my apple tree and spray when bees are less active.
See Related:
— Turn Your Yard Into a Certified Wildlife Habitat
— How to Build a Bee Lawn to Help Pollinators
— Top 10 Native Plants for Your Pollinator Garden
FAQs About ‘No Mow May’
It depends on your lawn. If your yard has flowering weeds like clover and dandelions, skipping mowing in May does provide some early-season food for pollinators. But experts caution that the benefit is limited and short-lived — particularly if you resume normal mowing in June without making any other changes.
The main pros of “No Mow May”: early-season food for pollinators, improved soil health, reduced mowing emissions, and raised awareness about pollinator decline.
The main cons of “No Mow May”: too short to make a lasting difference, timing doesn’t fit every region, useless for lawns without flowering weeds, and the sudden return to mowing in June can disorient bees and negate some environmental gains.
Yes, but it’s evolving. Cities that once suspended lawn ordinances for May — including East Lansing, Michigan and Green Bay, Wisconsin — have recently replaced the annual pause with permanent year-round frameworks supporting native landscaping. The conversation “No Mow May” started is now pushing toward something more lasting than one month off from mowing.
More Ways to Help Local Pollinators
“No Mow May” — and the cities now moving beyond it — point toward the same conclusion: The goal was never really about May. As Shepherd says, it “offers an opening to talk about reducing lawn area, less-intensive approaches to lawn management, and what else people could be doing.” The real win is a yard that works for pollinators all year long.
There are plenty of ways, including landscaping projects, to turn your yard into a home for native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all year-round. If you’re brainstorming ways to use your yard to save pollinators beyond “No Mow May,” our landscaping professionals are just a call or click away.
Sources
- “A Buzz-Worthy No Mow May Option Could Be Found in ‘Bee Lawns’.” By Dr. Sara Stricker, Communications and Outreach Coordinator at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute. Turf & Rec.
- “Establishing Pollinator Meadows from Seed.” By Eric Lee-Mader, Brianna Borders, and Ashley Minnerath. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
- “Grow Beyond No Mow May: Options for Reducing Your Lawn.” By Tess Renusch, Senior Coordinator at the National Wildlife Federation. NWF Blog.
- “Honey Bee Foraging on Dandelion and Apple in Apple Orchards.” By D.F. Mayer and J.D. Lunden. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia.
- “Nesting & Overwintering Habitat.” By Sarah Foltz Jordan, Jennifer Hopwood, and Sara Morris. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
- “No Mow May, No Mow April, Low Mow Spring?” By Bee City USA.
- “Cornell Turfgrass Show 2024: Ep. 6: No Mow May and better alternatives with Sara Stricker.” By Cornell SIPS. Youtube.
Main Image: No Mow May sign in Lawn. Image Credit: Actium / Shutterstock
