Every garden will have wildlife that lives amongst the plants and in the nooks and crannies of various structures. When people leave their lawns uncut, it is not just the flying pollinators that will be attracted to the new habitat when various flowers appear, but many of the garden's resident creatures will move into the long grass, too.
It is these creatures that are then destroyed when the mowing resumes once May has passed. You only have to look at the life-cycle of grasshoppers to realise why No Mow May can be such a destructive scheme for wildlife.
If new habitats are to be created in gardens, then they need to be long term and not just for a month or two. In fact, there are many really good things that people could do in their garden to help our declining biodiversity rather than unwittingly risk harming it.
Now that I have retired from my job as head of entomology at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, I spend a lot of time talking to gardening clubs where I can explain the importance of balanced ecosystems. It would be great if you highlighted the pitfalls of creating temporary habitats (eg No Mow May) and what people could be doing instead. Ian Bedford, entomologist and show speaker, via email
PLANTLIFE REPLIES:
The campaign isn't and never has been about creating temporary habitats, but rather encouraging a change in mindset and behaviours as part of a new approach to lawns and green spaces.
Plantlife promotes a mixed mowing regime, with multiple different grass lengths, which has the greatest benefit to wildlife. Short lawns are best for bird's-foot trefoil, for instance, and mini meadow areas mown two to three times a year outside of peak summer months are often home to taller flowers such as musk mallow or oxeye daisies.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food
Spiders eat flies, right? everyone knows that the 45,000 or so spiders in the world are all obligate carnivores, more or less – eating other animals, mainly invertebrates. Nature, however, loves an exception, and one particular spider missed out on that ecological memo. It goes by the wonderful scientific name of Bagheera kiplingi, and its claim to fame is that its diet is – at least mostly – vegetarian.
Female of the Species - Zebras - A strong sisterhood is key to staying safe
Zebras are masters of confusion. Their collective noun is ‘a dazzle’, which is fitting since their bodies and behaviour have been surprising scientists for centuries.
See It, Save It? - Wildlife tourism can be a powerful ally in protecting nature - but it can also harm it. We weigh up the pros and cons.
The sums of wildlife travel aren’t as simple as more tourists equals happier nature. How much did my visit really contribute to the conservation of Lady Liuwa and her habitat – and was that outweighed by carbon emissions from my flights? Did my presence disturb the animals’ natural behaviour more than it reduced the threat of poaching or benefited local communities?The question of whether wildlife travel is, on balance, good for wildlife is a complex one – and there’s no simple answer.
Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths
Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.
Metamorphosis: a life-changing event
WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY
New series for BBC One: Asia
Settle in this autumn for a new natural-history extravaganza on BBC One and iPlayer: the longawaited Asia, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply
Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed
Tarsiers in trouble
Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate
SNAP-CHAT
Chien Lee on shrew loos, rogue drones and being rained out of bed
VISIONS OF NATURE
The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation