Wandsworth Council has agreed to take part again in the “No Mow May” campaign and will leave large areas of grass untouched across the borough in a bid to encourage wild flowers and attract pollinators.
The idea is that by leaving grassland alone during its heaviest growth period that wildflowers, plants and insects will thrive. Putney residents will also be encouraged to leave their mower in the shed for a month to help increase bio-diversity as part of a national movement heralded by charity Plantlife.
Twenty different spots across the borough will be allowed to go au naturel to “provide a feast for pollinators, tackle pollution, reduce urban heat extremes, and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground.” You can see a map of the areas below.
The No Mow May philosophy is not without its critics however. Some experts have argued that allowing for free and unchecked grass growth in May before bringing in a June doom may actually harm biodiversity by removing a habitat as it is getting established, as opposed to letting one thrive throughout the year in areas that are harder for humans to reach.
Then there’s the fact that weeds are also known to grow inside unchecked and unmown areas, and tend to be more persistent than the average wildflower. Hay fever sufferers have also been notably less excited about the air being flooded with pollen than those who don’t spend the summer months with streaming eyes.
There is one thing the council has been able to agree on however: it is significantly cheaper to leave large areas of grassland untouched for a month than it is to pay someone to mow and clear them.
That said, Putney.news has been assured that financial costs are but a minor factor in council deliberations when it comes to the health of Wandsworth’s highly respected and universally lauded insect population.
The areas to be left unmown are:
- King George’s Park
- Putney Vale Cemetery
- Battersea Rise Cemetery
- The Pleasance
- Roehampton Playing Fields
- Fishponds Playing Fields
- Fairacres verge
- Putney Vale Open Space
- Tibbetts Corner
- Garratt Lane Old Burial Ground
- West Hill Open Space
- Medfield Street Open Space
- Vicarage Gardens
- Beauchamp Terrace
- Wandsworth Park
- Godley Gardens
- Burntwood Grange/Sandgate verges
- Wandsworth Common – Skylark area
- All Saints Tooting
- Fountain Rec
