What actually happens within your lawn when you don’t mow it
Why you should let your grass grow
Scroll to see what happens when you stop mowing your lawn.
Your vibrant green lawn may look lush, but it’s actually an ecological wasteland.
“The idea for that ideal lawn is that nothing else can live in it,” said David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit conservation organization. “It’s like a dense, eternally green carpet.”
As our communities have taken over wild lands, this trimmed turf has spread over tens of millions of acres across the United States, displacing native plants and leaving butterflies, birds and bees with fewer places to feed, rest and nest. As a result, their populations have plummeted.
But let your grass grow a few inches, and some of that wildlife starts coming back. This is the idea behind the “no mow” movement, a push across the United States and Britain to stop the use of herbicides, pesticides and gas-guzzling mowers during the month of May.
It’s a good first step, but there’s plenty you can do to make your yard more inviting to pollinators and other critters.
Here’s how:
Step 1 / 5
Let it grow
First, stop treating your lawn with herbicides and pesticides. If you don’t want to stop mowing your entire yard, pick a spot. Ideally, a patch of grass in a lower traffic area.
You’ll see the grass grow longer, with the blades lengthening at different rates. Soon, the lawn takes on a more uneven look.
Common flowering weeds spring up — typically hardy, nonnative species that seed prolifically and grow quickly. In the Mid-Atlantic region, for example, small bunches of white clover, dandelions and wild strawberries bloom.
Step 2 / 5
Time to trim
If you want to keep using your lawn, mow at the highest setting, ideally four inches or more. Otherwise, grass could reach a foot-and-a-half tall, potentially getting you in trouble with your homeowners association.
But don’t worry. If you mow high, you won’t chop the tops off many flowers!
As more flowers pop up, visitors start arriving. In the D.C. area, you’ll see tiny sweat bees or bumblebees buzzing around blooms. Small yellow butterflies flit through the blossoms. They carry pollen from your yard to other places, helping plants reproduce.
Your lawn is now becoming a rest stop for wildlife, an improvement over the highly manicured plot of grass it used to be. But to re-create lost habitats, you need native species that will draw more insects and animals.
Step 3 / 5
Make room for natives
Thin out the grass with a rake, removing any dead blades and exposing more soil for plants that nourish bugs and birds to grow.
Step 4 / 5
Drop seeds
Or plant seedlings. Find out which native plants will thrive in your yard. Ask your local university’s extension program or other nature organizations in your area for help. In the D.C. region, try columbine (Aquilegia), bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) or butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). These are some examples of low-maintenance, pollinator-friendly natives.
Below, the soil is also changing. Earthworms tunnel through the ground, loosening the soil. That leaves more room for roots — as well as space for air and water to filter through. Bug waste, a natural fertilizer, also provides plants with nutrients.
Step 5 / 5
See nature do its thing
Over time, your lawn can become a wildlife paradise. Bees and butterflies alight on the flowering plants.
Blue jays, robins, sparrows and other birds stop by, helping to naturally keep insect populations in check and dispersing seeds.
A true pollinator lawn or garden will feed, shelter and serve as a nursery for wildlife year round — but it will require more work than just putting your mower into storage for a month. You’ll have to seek out the right native plants for your area, not just rely on what springs up if you let you grass grow. Many pollinators only feed on the nectar of specific plants.
But putting in the effort to convert even part of your yard helps restore much-needed habitat.
“One quarter-acre piece of land is not going to turn the tide on the decline of the songbirds or the pollinators,” Mizejewski said. “But if thousands or even millions of us do this, just do the math. It adds up.”
Have you started your lawn transformation? We would love to see how it’s going.
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About this story
Editing by Ana Campoy, Joe Moore and Monica Ulmanu. Copy editing by Melissa Ngo. Additional support from Julie Vitkovskaya.