Flowers Growing Wild

No Mow May aims to encourage boring lawns to become a riot of colour and buzzing with life, simply by not mowing for a month.

This year, in conjunction with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Middleport Matters engaged in No Mow May on the Newport Lane green. As well as the council refraining from mowing, Middleport Matters undertook to litter pick the area and generally keep an eye on it.

By identifying plants and counting flowers at the start, middle and end of the month, Middleport Matters aimed to show that habitat for insects and birds improved through the period. They found that the number of flowers increased from under 2,500 to over 16,000. At the start of the month, only dandelions and daisies were flowering. By the end, ten species had been identified in bloom.

As an added bonus, there was much less litter dropped on the area once the grass got long. Early in May, a litter pick collected 3 full bags. The next litter pick, in the first days of June, collected only half a bag.

A full report is available below.