No Mow May

A Guide for Creating a Pollinator-Friendly Neighborhood

Do More By Doing Less

Mowing your lawn less frequently creates habitat and can increase the abundance and diversity of wildlife, including bees and other pollinators. One way to reduce mowing is by participating in No Mow May. No Mow May is a conservation initiative first popularized by Plantlife, an organization based in the United Kingdom, but which is gaining traction across North America. The goal of No Mow May is to allow grass to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for early season pollinators. This is particularly important in urban areas where floral resources are often limited. (From Bee City USA)

No Mow May Dubuque FAQ’s

Register your yard here!

Yard Signs - No longer available! You can print your own!

You can still participate without a sign but you must FILL OUT THIS FORM (to let the City know).

While not required, Raygun has some No Mow May signs for purchase.

This information will be shared with the City of Dubuque so they are aware of your participation in No Mow May and can handle complaints appropriately.

Pollinator Friendly Resources

Want To Do Even More?

  • Reduce or stop using herbicides and pesticides.

  • Plant a pocket prairie of native plants.

  • Plant pollinator-friendly trees.

  • Consider alternative lawn plantings such as Dutch white clover, self-heal, and creeping thyme.

  • Don’t “clean up” your garden in the fall or early spring. Many pollinators rely on stems and leaves to overwinter.

Tips For Being A Good Neighbor + Keeping Local Officials Happy

What happens if there is a complaint about my unmown lawn?

The City of Dubuque encourages intentional participation by residents in pollinator conservation efforts, including planting native flowers. If you are participating in No Mow May or a similar initiative and you receive a complaint notice, please contact Tami Ernster at 563.589.4231, or email housing@cityofdubuque.org.

Registering your participation (FILL OUT THIS FORM) will help city officials determine valid complaints.

Maintain a mowed buffer. Keeping a mowed edge around a natural planting may be all that’s needed to define “lawn” from “garden” and keep you in step with local ordinances or homeowner association guidelines. Maintaining a tidy mowed edge also makes a busy natural planting look less overwhelming, and reinforces that these spaces are intentional.

Educate your neighbors and passersby about your landscaping choices. Displaying a simple sign designating your yard as pollinator habitat can make the difference between it being seen as a neglected area to people viewing it as an important part of a thriving landscape.

What If My Grass Gets Too Long To Cut With My Mower?

No Mow May doesn’t just help pollinators—it can improve your lawn. By reducing the mowing frequency, your lawn can become more resilient to drought. Plus, it won’t require as much watering.

But No Mow May does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Your yard equipment may be supercharged and mowing at the end of May might be no problem at all. But if you are concerned that your equipment may not be able to handle the excess growth, go ahead and cut it to your highest setting when you think it’s approaching the limits of your mower. You will still be preserving many of the flowers that thrive below that highest mower setting.

No matter which approach you take, Paul Koch, an associate professor and turf grass extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin, explains that “You never want to remove more than one-third of the green leafy tissue at any one time.” Depending on how tall your grass has grown, it could take a few weekends with the mower to get back to your usual lawn height.

Questions? Email us: Nomowmay24@gmail.com

Download a pocket guide of the above information here!