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Published May 4th 2024
No Mow May is an annual campaign started by Plantlife in the UK, asking everyone to put away the lawnmower during the month of May to help our native wildlife. The All Ireland Pollinator Plan endorsed this campaign in Ireland to encourage these changes in Ireland and it has grown in popularity from year to year.
Many of us are already taking steps to support local ecosystems, whether by stocking bird feeders in winter, providing water for thirsty hedgehogs, leaving wood piles for insects, or minimising garden lighting at night. For those with an interest in gardening, planting choices can greatly enhance biodiversity and support wildlife. This has led to the popularity of wildflower seed mixes, which are readily available at supermarkets and garden centres. These mixes promise to transform your garden with a vibrant array of flowers, delighting not only your human visitors but also crucial pollinators. However, despite their appeal, these commercial solutions are not the panacea for the growing pollinator crisis we hope for. In light of this, No Mow May is the better option when it comes to introducing wildflowers and pollinator friendly plants into your garden.
You might imagine a pollinator-friendly wildflower meadow as an aesthetically pleasing mix of the most beautiful flowers from across the world. An image sold to us on commercial wildflower mixes. A study by Dr. Noleen Smyth at UCD examined the contents of seven popular wildflower seed mixes from four major retail outlets. These packets were chosen because they were labelled as promoting “wildflower,” “meadow,” or “biodiversity.” Out of the 56 species listed, only 14 (25%) were native to Ireland, and the packaging provided no information about the origin of the seeds, leaving the provenance of many uncertain. Most of the species, 44 (78.5%), originated from various parts of Europe, while 12 (21.4%) came from continents like Asia, Africa, and North America. Common flowers in these mixes included Cornflower, Corncockle, Borage, and Pot Marigold—none of which are truly native to Ireland. And importantly, Corncockle is toxic to most livestock.
Native Irish plants and pollinators have coevolved, making them ideally suited to provide mutual benefits in terms of nectar and pollen. Introducing non-native species can threaten biodiversity. When used inappropriately, seed mixes filled with non-native plants might diminish genetic diversity, potentially disrupting local ecosystems, and reducing abundance of the crucial naturally occurring wildflowers.So, buying a packet of random seeds that claims to enhance “biodiversity” is not the answer. The best way to support our pollinators, without risking any extra destruction to the local environment, is to avoid seed mixes and just allow native flowers to emerge. There are different options to choose from when making space for native pollinator friendly plants. The All Ireland Pollinator Plan has a handy guide to make the best choice for you.
While some of the plants in wildflower mixes can provide some nectar, they require extensive management and do not sufficiently support the early developmental, or larval, stages of pollinators. Native fine grasses and plants like nettles are essential for the larval stages of various butterfly species, including the Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma, Painted Lady, and Small Tortoiseshell. The caterpillars of these butterflies feed on these plants, and although adult butterflies may not be as selective about native versus non-native flowers, their caterpillars rely exclusively on native vegetation. Certain butterflies, like the Marsh Fritillary, depend entirely on specific native plants such as Devil’s Bit Scabious; without it, they could face extinction.
The phrase “save the bees” is widely used, but its meaning has become somewhat diluted or largely misunderstood. Anyone who is familiar with the diversity of bee species might ask; which bees are we talking about and in what environmental context? In Ireland alone, there are 100 bee species, including the honeybee, 21 species of bumblebee, and 78 species of solitary bee. Each species has unique survival requirements, depending on the specific flowers they pollinate and the habitats they are found in.
The structure and feeding mechanisms of all bees (bumblebees, solitary bees and honeybees) are critical to their ability to gather food. One of the most important parts limiting a bee’s ability to gather pollen and nectar is the shape of their tongue! Tongue length differs across bee species and influences their ability to extract pollen and nectar from the broad range of flower shapes. The adaptations in tongue shape reflects the evolutionary history of bees to their floral environments, enabling them to exploit different ecological niches and contributing to the pollination of a wide range of plants, which is crucial for biodiversity and agricultural productivity. Honeybees have a proboscis that is a complex structure including a tongue that is tubular and hairy, helping them lap up nectar. Bumblebees also have a long, hairy tongue that they use to dip into flowers but show a significant variation in tongue length, ranging from quite short to very long, depending on the species. Longer-tongued bumblebees tend to specialise in flowers with deep floral tubes, such as foxglove and honeysuckle, while shorter-tongued species may visit a broader range of shallower flowers. Solitary bees have mixed tongue shapes and sizes that are closely tied to the flowers they specialise in pollinating. Given that 78 out of 100 bee species found in Ireland are Solitary Bees, this means that we have many bees specialised to collect nectar from our native flowers and not the unpredictable array of flowers offered in supermarkets. The answer to help our pollinators does not come in a package over the counter, it’s already in the ecosystem. Learn more about Ireland’s Solitary Bees here.
Some bees are generalists, meaning they can access nectar from a broad array of flower types, allowing them to thrive in diverse environments, due to the medium length of their tongue, like the Common Carder Bee. In contrast, specialised species such as the Great Yellow Bumblebee, with its long tongue, extracts nectar from deep or tubular flowers that are beyond the reach of shorter-tongued bees like common bumblebees. So, the Great Yellow Bumblebee is found in habitats with deep flowers as they don’t have to compete as much with the shorter tongue species.
In Ireland, the Great Yellow Bumblebee is limited to specific habitats like the coastal and species-rich meadows of Belmullet, Mayo. This type of habitat has largely disappeared across Ireland due to habitat destruction and commercial development. Belmullet is a critical refuge for the species, but its survival hangs in a delicate balance, vulnerable to even a single severe storm. Learn more about the Great Yellow Bumblebee here.
The Shrill Carder Bee is primarily found in the Burren, an area known for its diversity of native Irish wildflowers and species-rich meadows, making it an ideal environment for these bees. They thrive in well-connected, diverse habitats that allow them to forage effectively. Unfortunately, these habitats have been declining across Europe due to agricultural intensification, urbanisation, and habitat fragmentation, leading to a significant decline in their populations. The Shrill Carder Bee can thrive in this habitat due to the floral abundance and diversity and low intensity agriculture. Learn more about how to protect this rare species here.
The naturally occurring native plants that emerge in early Spring and Summer in Ireland are the best source of nectar and pollen for our bee species. As mentioned above, native bees in Ireland evolved alongside the native flowers and plants. So the best way to support them is to let the native plants grow.
Dandelions are particularly important for many types of bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees. Dandelions are some of the first flowers to appear as we transition from winter to spring. So, they emerge at a time when few other plants are blooming, providing a critical food source for bee populations recovering from winter. The structure of dandelion flowers is such that they are accessible to bees with various tongue lengths, making them a universal food source for many bee species. So, resisting the urge to mow every dandelion in sight can be a lifeline to hungry bees needing nourishment to survive the transition to spring.
Instead of sowing wildflower seed mixes with uncertain contents, it’s crucial to prioritise the management and restoration of native meadows. The seeds needed to nourish our pollinators are already in the soil, ready to bloom. Frequent lawn mowing shreds these vital food sources, wasting essential natural resources meant for our local wildlife. Allowing native plants to emerge—and recognizing them as valuable rather than dismissing them as “weeds”—can help us appreciate what our landscape naturally offers. If we begin to see the beauty in our indigenous flowers and grasses, both we and our pollinators would benefit greatly. Instead of constantly moulding our gardens to fit our aesthetic preferences and introducing non-native plants that may harm our local ecosystems, we can start mending our relationship with pollinators and the broader environment.
