Reduce lawn mowing to attract more beneficial insect and birds

When you go for a walk in nature, you take the greenery around you for granted, but there are also huge numbers of various insects. Sure, butterflies, bees and many tiny “flying things” simply belong to the natural environment. The same is true for various birds, however, recent studies showed that the number of birds is decreasing rather quickly and that is a shame of course, because the entire ecosystems needs to be perfectly balanced. How fast are insects and birds disappearing? And what role does grass mowing play in this scenario? We shall focus on this issue in the following lines.

It is very fast

About 20 years ago, no one would have thought of counting insects in cities at all. Insects were everywhere, but these days almost a half of these little creatures are considered endangered and the number is rapidly decreasing. Regular mowing of grass areas are partly to blame because the natural habitat where insects live is being regularly disturbed. And of course that means less food for birds which tend to disappear as well. Simply put, English lawns should not be in our cities. Insects need flowery and grassy areas so it can survive. But can we get rid of the aesthetic component of parks for the benefit of insects and birds? Well, maybe we can.

What about people suffering from allergies?

If grass cutting is reduced down to a minimum people suffering from allergies may complain. Many blooming trees also pose a problem for these people and they are many trees in cities but large grassy areas also have a negative effect on allergy sufferers.

Photo: Pixabay

So, how often should we mow grassy areas?

It is difficult to say exactly, but biologists seem to agree that about three times a year but probably even less than that. A lack of water is a continuous problem and short-cut and dry lawns around housing development look sad. A better solution is to plant more resistant trees. Trees with deep roots, which can reach enough moisture.

If we limit grass cutting, how long before insects return?

Basically immediately. Some 20 to 30 years ago, there were a lot of insects around housing developments and cities. Do you remember how often we saw bees and even got stung by various insects? Well, the good news is that some cities are already aware of the situation and stopped mowing grass so often, even though this year’s summer is not particularly dry. The effect is almost immediate. So, it is worth trying. We should all think about the nature around us, including big issues, such as the protection of rainforest, corals and other natural phenomena.

Preview photo: Pixabay