<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/03/lawns-wild-no-mow-may-gardens>
"Ian Waddington was crouched in his garden last summer, inspecting loose
paving, when he lifted a slab and spotted something extraordinary: a tiny field
mouse nestled in a hollow, feeding four babies – each half the size of his
little finger. “It was astonishing. Like life in miniature,” he says.
After decades in the construction industry, the 86-year-old has found a new
passion in retirement – nature. The discovery of the field mice made him
realise his garden could be a thriving habitat for animal and plant life. This
year, Waddington joined the No Mow May movement and allowed his garden grow
wild through spring.
Now in its ninth year, No Mow May – run by the charity Plantlife – encourages
people to stop mowing their lawns during the first month of spring to allow
their gardens to become more biodiverse.
In the Cheshire village of Tattenhall, many others have taken part over the
years, connecting with nature through their back gardens. Janet Dutton, 69, let
her lawn grow wild while caring for her sick partner. Today, aside from a
central mown patch for her grandchildren, her garden has become a miniature
meadow. “The more it [it grows], the more addicted I get to it – I just like to
see what comes up,” she says."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-no-mow-may-gets-wild/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
