As lawns across DC and beyond buzz to life each spring, so do our pollinators. To help bees and other pollinators thrive, many homeowners participate in “No Mow May,” a citizen-science effort that began as a way to support struggling bees and other pollinators by allowing lawns to grow wild for a month.
The idea is simple: By pausing mowing in May, we allow dandelions, clover, violets, and other early blooms to flourish, providing crucial nectar and pollen just as pollinators emerge from hibernation.
While national parks and forests often come to mind when we think of conserving nature, the actions we take in our own backyards can have a surprisingly significant impact.
The Hidden Cost of Lawns
Lawns may look green, but their environmental footprint is anything but.
In the U.S., lawn irrigation consumes nearly one-third of all residential water—about 9 billion gallons every day. In addition, lawns account for 2% of the land use in the U.S., making them the single largest irrigated crop we grow.
Maintaining that “perfect” turf also means applying fertilizers and pesticides, which run off into local waterways, harming aquatic life and polluting our drinking water. Lawns are also monocultures, offering little habitat for wildlife and contributing to biodiversity loss. And mowing itself isn’t harmless: gas-powered mowers emit air pollutants. All this comes at a financial cost, as Americans spend billions on lawn care annually.
Replace Your Lawn with Trees and Gardens!
Maybe you’re tired of mowing altogether and ready for something more sustainable. What if there were a way to never mow again?
Replacing part or all of your lawn with native plants, trees, shrubs, or pollinator gardens is one of the most impactful steps you can take for the environment, and it also cuts down on your mowing and yard maintenance. Just check out this before and after from one of our recent projects:
Aside from the labor savings, native plants contribute to a sense of place and seasonality that lawns – which are green all year round and found all over the country and even the world – sorely lack. Planting a native garden helps reconnect you to natural cycles and to the specific part of the country where you reside.
At Casey Trees, we’re here to help. Our free tree program makes it easy to add shade trees to your yard at no cost, and our ecological garden program can install a pollinator-friendly garden you’ll love. Any profit generated from our garden installations is plowed directly back into re-treeing DC and supporting our community programs.
Whether you’re planting a tree, starting a pollinator patch, or just mowing a little less, you’re helping build a healthier, more resilient city for all.
Ready to transform your lawn into a pollinator paradise? Sign up for a garden consultation!
