Have you heard about “Bee Lawns”?
Basically, Bee Lawns are made by leaving grass in a more natural state. The idea is to limit the use of pesticides and to offer a selection of things for bees to gather nectar from.
PC: Ann Kirsten
Especially in early spring, bees have a hard time finding flowers. By having flowers (and some “weeds”) in your yard, the bees can find food as they wake from hibernation.
PC: Ann Kirsten
Lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the United States. There are 40 million acres of lawns in the US, and those flower-less lawns offer no food for bees or other pollinators. Plus, maintaining them requires mowing, feeding, and often lots of chemicals. Americans dump 90 million pounds of fertilizer and 78 million pounds of pesticides a year in their attempt to maintain perfect patches of green.
A group in England started “No Mow May”. It’s a gentle way for people to begin looking at lawns in a different way. Researchers have found that even small lawns have 5 times more bees if the lawn remains un-mowed for a month in early spring. The numbers are even more staggering in larger yards.
If a month without mowing seems too radical, homeowners can simply mow less often and/or raise their mower blades to leave the grass a bit taller. I have noticed that in spring after even a week, the lawn flowers have returned to my yard. By stretching out the time between mowings I am providing plenty of food for the bees before my garden flowers have bloomed.
I have a bee lawn. Did I create one on purpose? No, I did not. I just can’t wrap my head around using poisons to create a perfect carpet of green. I want my kids and grandkids to be able to frolic in the yard without fear and they do. They love searching the grass for tiny flowers to pick. I even have a small tribe of Mason Bees in a corner of my lawn.
PC: Ann Kirsten
As a result of making my yard bee-friendly, I am blessed with bumper crops of fruit, berries and vegetables every year. I fill the freezer and make enough jam for all my family’s households.
PC: Ann Kirsten
If you are stuck with HOA rules, you can still make a difference. Consider making your lawn a bit smaller and making your flower beds larger.
It’s time we rethink what lawns “should” look like. Do we really need an astro-turf lawn or are healthy flower-laden lawns just as lovely? As I watch professional sprayers pull up to my neighbor’s lawn on a regular basis, I realize that not everyone is ready to embrace the “natural look”, but even small changes can have a big impact on the bee population and that is a wonderful thing. Remember that God described the Promised Land as a land flowing with milk and HONEY.
“You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.” Psalm 104:14-15
“And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3:17
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Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
