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Once again, the city of Countryside is encouraging residents to not mow their lawns, at least not until the middle of May.
The city council, at its March 12 meeting, unanimously approved a third edition of the No Mow ‘Til Mothers Day program.
This year, Mothers Day falls on Sunday, May 11.
That’s two months from now and by then the grass will likely be pretty high.
But don’t worry about getting a citation from the city for an unkempt front lawn.
Countryside officials are hoping to not hear the roar of lawn mowers until Mothers Day at the earliest. And although our lawns don’t need mowing in late March, they will soon.
The idea is that by not mowing lawns until mid-May there will be more growth of grasses, flowers and other plants that are used by bees for pollination, Ald. Scott Musillami (3rd) said after the meeting.
“It’s good for the bees. It’s good for everything. Basically, if you cut the lawn right away, the pollinators aren’t working,” said Musillami, who chairs the council’s sustainability committee.
According to Bee City USA, lawns cover 40 million acres, or 2 percent of land in the U.S., making them the single largest irrigated crop we grow.
“The start of the growing season is a critical time for hungry, newly emerged native bees. Floral resources may be hard to find, especially in urban and suburban landscapes. By allowing it to grow longer, and letting flowers bloom, your lawn can provide nectar and pollen to help your bee neighbors thrive,” the site said.
Countryside is a bee-friendly community for, as Musillami noted, “we have our two bee hives upstairs.”
The two bee hives were installed atop the roof several years ago, shortly after the new city hall opened its doors, again to promote pollination.
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