A Bandwagon That I Can Get Behind

I’ve always been reluctant to jump on bandwagons.

The latest this or that rarely appealed to me.

Then I heard about No Mow May, a movement that encourages folks to let their lawns grow unfettered during the month of May in an effort to benefit bees and other pollinators.

Without hesitation I clambered aboard that wagon and joined the band.

In all honesty, however, it has little to do with my concern for bees, and a lot to do with my disdain for lawn mowing. I’d embrace any movement that gets me out of that onerous task, if only for a month.

I do wholeheartedly agree with the premise: helping feed essential pollinators -- in particular bees -- whose global populations are in danger.

No Mow May started in the United Kingdom. Appleton, Wis., was the first U.S. city to adopt the initiative, but has since been joined by 70 other communities across the country including Livingston.

I’m no fan of manicured lawns. I’d rather grow something I can eat. But living in town requires a certain degree of conformity. I typically mow the lawn on a fairly regular basis until it quits growing. In the recent years of drought, that usually meant late July or early August. This year, with abundant moisture, I could still be mowing in September.

When Barb and I bought our cabin on Fort Peck Lake I never imagined it would mean one more lawn to mow. Maintaining a lawn surrounded by a national wildlife refuge didn’t make sense to me, but after receiving a reprimand from the cabin owners association I realized I had no choice, but to mow.

I prefer the idea of xeriscape, landscaping without water (ie. Arizona), which makes a lot of sense in these hotter, drier times. Like a lot of my preferences, however, xeriscape isn’t catching on in Montana. Folks up here still prefer artificially colored, heavily watered and chemically sprayed, manicured lawns.

No Mow May gives me an excuse not to mow, but I doubt I’ll be able to hold off until June. The long-lasting abundant snowpack followed by days of rain has my lawn already pushing the limits of what my mower can cut. A couple more weeks of growth and I’ll have to rent a herd of goats.

In the meantime if you drive by my place and cast a critical eye upon my thick, uncut lawn, just remember, I’m doing it for the bees.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]