I’m delighted to share with you an important initiative to help our struggling POLLINATORS: & !!
Sustainable Saratoga has joined a nation-wide effort to encourage all homeowners, farmers, municipalities, highway departments, & businesses to take ACTION to help our highly AT RISK Pollinators.
Action Plan: Take No Action!
During the critical month of MAY, Sustainable Saratoga asks all to participate in NO MOW MAY. That means keep your mowers in your garages or sheds and let your lawns go natural in May. This critical transition month allows the bees, moths, butterflies and other pollinators to safely exit their winter ground homes and find the only nectar nourishment available during May… nectar from beautiful Clover (great nitrogen source for lawns), cheerful Dandelions, native lovely Violets and the few other Wildflowers that bloom and go to seed in May prior to mowing.
Across the country, communities who have launched NO MOW MAY have experienced nice increases in Bee and butterfly populations (5x more Bees and 3x more Bee species) just by taking the Month of May off… no mowing, no pesticides and no herbicides.
Our Earth’s Pollinators and all insects are fighting for their very existence. Pesticides and habitat loss are the primary killers of these vital insects who pollinate 70 of 100 USA major crops
- In 2021, we lost 45% of bee colonies in the USA
- Since 1998, 88% of Monarch Butterflies disappeared in the Eastern USA
- 95% of Monarchs have perished in the Western USA
Please consider just relaxing in May
We have a NO MOW MAY Bee Lawn Sign for your yard announcing you’ve signed up to help “Save The Bees”
Just let us know if you’d like a sign or have questions by e-mailing us at pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org and we will be delighted to get you a sign. We have NO MOW MAY sign pick-up locations in Saratoga Springs and Stillwater. We are requesting a $10 donation to Sustainable Saratoga to cover the cost of the sign. These signs can be used each May for at least 10 years.
Here is our very cool lawn sign… Join Our Movement… Save The Bees, and Take The Month of May Off for…
For All of Our Pollinators,
Murph
Chair, Sustainable Saratoga Pollinator Committee
Need plants to feed the pollinators in your garden?
Come to the Pollinator Palooza Native Plant Sale!
For more resources about pollinators and native plants, see our Pollinator Pages
Check out Bee City USA for more information about No Mow May
