Put off cutting your lawn until June

There’s a new initiative in May that’s calling on homeowners to refrain from mowing lawns in order to enhance pollination

While the sound of a mower's engine is a sure sign spring is here, the Nature Conservancy of Canada wants you to put off lawn cutting in an initiative called 'No Mow May.'

"It's been adapted and adopted in Canada more recently. The premise is really simple. Early springtime, your lawn is just starting to grow and pollinators are just starting to come out," said Jensen Edwards, a spokesperson for the conservancy.

Edwards said it’s meant to encourage homeowners to keep lawns wild for the month to give pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and other insects a head start.

"One of the ways we can help them is by letting them have access to some of the non-grasses that grow in our lawns, like dandelions and clover," said Edwards.

Scientists say climate change is impacting pollinators during the shifting in growing and blooming, thus weakening the plant population.

The nature conservancy and a northern Ontario horticultural society are encouraging gardeners to plant native species to promote biodiversity and help the pollinators.

"Many foods need to be pollinated. So it affects our crops and even the flowers and trees," said Maureen Ranger, co-president of the North Bay Horticultural Society.

Edwards said some flowers are key to the local ecosystem.

"Things like the foam flower -- which is native to Sudbury and the North Bay area -- that supports bees, flies, and moths," he said.

The conservancy estimates there are about 6.2 million lawns in Canada with a lot of green space that is raked and cut, and not providing any benefits to wildlife in the early spring.