Springwatch star Michaela Strachan urges people to ‘be lazy’ and not mow their lawns and forget the obsession of having a neat ‘bowling green’ garden

Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan says people should be ‘lazy’ and not mow their lawns, forgetting the obsession with ‘bowling green’ gardens.

Her plea comes just days after the end of the ‘no-mow May’ craze, in which people deliberately keep their gardens dirty to benefit wildlife and wildflowers.

The campaign, launched in 2019 by conservation organization Parklife, urges residents to ‘liberate their lawns’ by mowing less.

However, the no-mowing move has proven controversial, with neighbors complaining of unsightly messes and swarms of insects.

BBC presenter Strachan said this was the best move to help wildlife in gardens and that people should forget the ‘obsession’ with a tidy lawn.

Strachan’s plea comes just days after the end of the ‘no-mow May’ craze, in which people deliberately keep their gardens dirty

The campaign launched in 2019 by the charity Parklife urges residents to ‘liberate their lawns’ by mowing less (stock photo)

She said: ‘The best thing you can do is not mow your lawn.

“We’ve gone through the stage where people became obsessed with this kind of bowling green lawn.

‘And it’s not good for the insects, not good for pollinators.

‘When you think of all the beautiful flowers that can be part of the lawn, we have to learn to embrace them.

“We’ve lost so many of our insects: the number of butterflies is down, the overall number of insects is down.”

Strachan, 58, said the country has lost many natural meadows and that if someone with a garden tried to create a meadow it would make a huge difference to the biosphere and help pollinators.

Strachan said this is the best move to help wildlife in gardens and that people should forget the ‘obsession’ with a tidy lawn

She added: ‘It’s so easy to do. So basically I say to everyone: be a little lazy, leave the mower in the shed and don’t mow in May, let it bloom in June, maybe just mow once every four weeks.’

The No-mow May campaign caused controversy last year after locals in the Heathcote area of ​​Leamington Spa, Warwickshire blamed the movement on a fly invasion.

Mum-of-four Di Drinkwater, 59, said: ‘They are everywhere and they give me stomach upset.

‘We bought two electric zappers and lavender candles, but it doesn’t matter, they are there in every room you go.

Mother-of-four Di Drinkwater, 59, says: ‘They’re everywhere and they’re giving me stomach upsets’

Fed-up residents blamed the ‘No Mow May’ eco campaign for the clouds of flies buzzing around the bustling suburb

‘I think there are several reasons for the influx of flies this year: climate change, growing lawns and gardens and leaving food scraps in bins.

“There’s not much we can do about it, but we just have to try to live with them.”

The move is proving divisive among some people who support the campaign, even though they know it may offend some of their neighbors.

One person wrote on social media, posting a photo of their weed-infested lawn: ‘The neighbors may not be very impressed with a garden full of dandelions going to seed, but the four little goldfinches visiting today seem to like them appreciate.

“Yes, I know it’s still April, I’m just getting ready.”

A 2019 Plantlife survey found that most gardeners mow on average every two weeks.

According to a report in the journal Biological Conservation, 97 percent of Britain’s wildflower meadows have disappeared since the 1930s.

A study published in the journal Nature Communications shows that many British pollinating insects are in decline, while rarer species such as the red-shouldered bee are really struggling.

A Twitter user shares an image of 4 little goldfinches in her neighbor’s garden as part of the #NoMowMay eco campaign

Between 1980 and 2013, every square mile in Britain lost an average of 11 species of bees and hoverflies.

The reasons behind this were the use of insecticides, loss of habitat and an overall reduction in biodiversity.

An experiment by Plantlife showed that not avoiding this in May resulted in an increase in the growth of daisies, germander, speedwell and creeping buttercups.

The species that benefited changed every month. After stopping mowing for another month in July, participants saw a resurgence of white clover, self-healing and bird’s-foot trefoil.

The average square meter of lawn surveyed after the experiment produced enough nectar to support almost four honeybees per day.