Bored with manicured lawns, some homeowners adopt No Mow May all year long
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Local authorities apparently didn't appreciate her natural look: 'I got a letter from the city saying that I had to mow it,' she said.
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But then, a friend told her about No Mow Month signs, provided by the Cumberland River Compact, a local water conservation nonprofit. Soon she was signaling to the city that she's no derelict, but a participant in an international movement.
These days, every month is No Mow May in parts of her property. While she keeps the growth shorter near the culvert and street, her backyard is filled with native grasses and plants up to her knees or waist. There's a decomposing tree trunk where scores of skinks and bugs live, birds nest under her carport and she regularly finds fawns sleeping in the safety of the high grasses.
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'I have a lot of insects and bugs and that's protein, so the birds and the bird's nests are everywhere. Cardinals and wrens and cowbirds and robins,' she said. 'I wake up to them, especially during spring migration right now. It's just a cacophony in the morning and in the evening, especially when the mulberries come in.'
The movement is popularized by groups such as Plantlife, a conservation organization based in England.
American lawns, based on English and French traditions, are increasingly seen as a wasteful monoculture that encourages an overuse of pesticides, fertilizer and water. Outdoor spraying and irrigation account for over 30% of a U.S. household's total water consumption, and can be twice that in drier climates, according to the EPA.
Some criticize No Mow campaigns as a fad that could invite invasive plants to spread unchecked without helping pollinators much, if only done for a month.
A guide outlining No Mow pros, cons and limitations, written by consumer horticulture extension specialist Aaron Steil at Iowa State University, says reducing mowing to every two weeks and replacing turf with plants that pollinate all year long can offer more benefits without risking a citation or complaints.
The No Mow effort does encourage people to think more about biodiversity in their yards, and many local nature organizations advise provide guidance on picking noninvasive plants that fit each region's climate and precipitation levels.
Reducing mowing encourages longer-rooted native grasses and flowers to grow, which breaks up compacted soil and improves drainage, 'meaning that when it rains, more water is going to be captured and stored in lawns versus being generated as a runoff and entering into our stormwater system,' said Jason Sprouls, urban waters program manager for the Cumberland River Compact.
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Beltramini Healan isn't just letting just anything grow — she learned which plants are invasive, non-native or not beneficial to the ecosystem and carefully prunes and weeds so the keepers have room to thrive.
Nashville homeowner Brandon Griffith said he was just tired of mowing when he decided years ago wait and see what comes up. Then he consciously added flowering plants to attract bees and bugs. Now he sees so many insects and pollinators all over his garden that the neighbors' kids come over to look for butterflies.
It's about giving them the time 'to come out of their larva or their egg stage and be able to grow,' said Griffith. He said he's never heard a complaint — in fact, some of his neighbors also stopped mowing for a month each spring. His four-year-old son catches lizards, digs for worms and hunts for bugs in the yard.
'I just enjoy coming out and walking around,' said Griffith. 'And looking at it, it's kind of peaceful. It's kinda relaxing.'
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"Oklahoma, for instance, requires children to enroll in half-day kindergarten in the school year after they turn five (September 1 birthday cutoff), but parents are allowed to delay their child's kindergarten entry by a year at their own discretion by submitting a form," Richard V. Reeves, president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, wrote in a commentary for the Brookings Institution. For parents who are questioning whether or not to delay their kid's kindergarten start date, Brown said to research what options and type of kindergarten classes their local school offers, to talk to other adults who may know what's best for the child, including a preschool teacher, and to consider those choices early. They should also consider whether or not they have the childcare resources to keep their kids out of kindergarten an extra year. "Then consider, do we think little Johnny's ready for school?" he said. "A lot of parents don't start thinking about it until their kid is four. Be informed, make a decision, and once you make it, support it." Brown said he's personally "always been an advocate that if you feel like they're ready, send them." No matter what parents choose, Brown said parents should be confident about their decision because kids can sense when their parents have doubts about their awareness of their abilities. That can take a toll on their self-esteem and academic and developmental skills. Lilintahl said she wants to avoid future learning setbacks for her daughter. The district tested her 5-year-old daughter on July 29 to determine her readiness for school, and she failed the reading portion of the test, she said. The mother said she'll continue to fight the district's decision, and has expressed her frustration with jurisdiction officials, but she's "lost a lot of trust in the school and principal." First grade isn't an option for their family. "She doesn't know how to read," Lilintahl said. Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@ Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.
