Itching to skip mowing? In St. Paul, city inspectors will turn a blind eye in May if your grass gets a bit tall and weedy.
That’s because the St. Paul City Council voted 6-0 on Wednesday to endorse “No Mow May,” an effort supported by Great River Greening and other environmental advocates to promote pollinator habitat. Council President Amy Brendmoen was absent.
The reasoning goes that skipping spring lawn mowing allows native wildflowers, grasses, vines, shrubs and even trees to begin to take root or flower from fallen woods and plant materials just as early-season birds and bees begin to explore. As part of the effort, the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections in May will pause summary abatement notices for tall grass and weeds.
Research in Appleton, Wisconsin, showed that homes that participated in their 2020 “No Mow May” effort had “more diverse and abundant flora,” including an uptick in the bee population, according to the city council resolution.
From 2022: No Mow May: A way of doing more for pollinators by doing less in the spring.
No Mow May, which got its start in the United Kingdom, has drawn participation from several Minnesota cities, including Edina, West St. Paul, Monticello and Vadnais Heights.
New Brighton participates in “Mow Less May,” a recognition, according to their website, that “not everyone can go the entire month of May without mowing.” A study by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station found bee abundance still increased even when lawns were mown every other week.
The St. Paul City Council committed St. Paul to being a pollinator-friendly city in January 2016.
