It's officially 'No Mow May' in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE — For the first time ever, the ‘No Mow May’ initiative has been sanctioned by the City of Milwaukee.

The month long plan of action encourages people to hold off on mowing their lawns until June 1. Additionally, Milwaukeeans are asked to avoid removing brush, pulling weeds and generally cleaning there lawns.

According to Auriana Donaldson, Conservation Programs Coordinator at the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, leaving your lawn alone is incredibly important for pollinators like bees.

“Waiting to clear your yard and garden beds just a few more weeks supports overwintering pollinators,” Donaldson said. “By allowing the dandelion, the violets, the clover to grow, we’re providing them with food resources at a very vulnerable and critical time for them as they emerge from hibernation.”

Donaldson also emphasized that this initiative has been around for years at this point, however, it’s a huge step forward for Milwaukee to sanction the optional measure.

“It’s really exciting to see it take off throughout the whole city of Milwaukee, there’s a ton of other municipalities throughout Wisconsin that have it approved too,” Donaldson said. “It’s an incredibly big deal because folks really want to do something. They want to take action to conserve pollinators. So, I think the fact that it’s amassed such a huge following is a great sign for conservation of our local pollinators.”

Donaldson said the most important thing to do, even if you don’t plan on participating in the initiative, is to “really think about how your yard, which is a very important green space, can support biodiversity, our ecosystem, and our pollinators that we rely on.”

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