No Mow May

 No Mow May

“Where the bee sucks, there suck I:

In a cowslip's bell I lie;

There I couch when owls do cry.

On the bat's back I do fly

After summer merrily.

Merrily, merrily shall I live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.” Ariel... “The Tempest” (Act V, Shakespeare) (266)






This May the cowslips are spectacular, owls are calling during the crystal clear nights, bats have been seen flying over Winsley gardens, and hedges and garden plots are heavy with blossom hanging on the bough – apple, lilac, wisteria, Choisya... And quietly in the background (but less comfortable for sheltering Ariel) – holly

With the Holly comes the reassuring sight of flight - the Holly Blue; butterflies that have been flying for a few weeks now.

But what else is going on now, around your feet?

Lots! Particularly if you walk the streets and lanes of our villages. Cultivated and wildflower seeds have been sown by volunteers along verges and in Winsley Playground (Photo page 18, May’s Winsley Weaver). 

 there will be more verges left unmown for flowers to bloom during the flowering season. So there will be colour and variety

; the unexpected

, the flash of wings (bee, Tortoiseshell butterfly ), the wonder of ultimate flight control as beeflies 

and hoverflies hang in mid-air, changing angle with helicopter precision... or actually better when you look carefully! Not least will be the buzz of pollinating insects feeding – many sorts of flies you might not recognise, honeybees and some less familiar but vitally important bumble and solitary bees

.

The same can be achieved on your own patch of grass, however small. It’s time for NO MOW MAY... and beyond until

August! If you like the neat and tidy look, mow a narrow path around your unmown area and frame it like a beautiful picture.

Help to lengthen the wildlife corridors for our pollinating insects... our fruit and veg... ultimately our survival needs them!

Photo details: 2. Talons to the fore! Rescued Barn Owl in flight at Hawk Conservancy Trust Bird of Prey Centre, Andover.

3. exhausted young Bechstein’s Bat (rescued here last October).

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