Cutting back on mowing to help wildlife

‘Pardon the weeds, we’re feeding the bees’....We’ve all seen the signs on various pieces of land in our communities, letting us know that the grass is being allowed to grow to encourage wildflowers to establish themselves, which in turn attracts bees, butterflies and other pollinators. 

But what exactly is the point of doing this and shouldn’t landowners be keeping the grass neat and tidy? 

At Tai Tarian, we have taken the decision that we should cut the grass on our land as little as possible – in some places, just once a year. 

This is because we believe in helping to create a sustainable planet, and by allowing our grass to grow, we are encouraging native flowers to spring up – if we cut the grass then we would be cutting them too. 

Allowing these flowers to flourish not only bring lots of vibrant colour to an area, but they also play a far more important role in attracting bees and other pollinators, searching for food, nutrients and nectar. Letting our verges and grasslands grow freely really can give nature a boost. 

Regularly cut and weeded areas quickly become wastelands, with all potential diversity suppressed. Allowed to ‘re-wild’ these areas can provide vital food for insects. In fact, in areas we haven’t cut we have seen some plants such as the common vetch, cowslip and primrose begin to emerge, not to mention the abundance of bees that are attracted to the area. 

So next time you’re passing a piece of land that looks to be overgrown, go and take a closer look, you may be surprised at the life that is being sustained in there. 

As well as letting our grassed areas grow and turn into wildflower medals we are also planting many trees and preserving existing ones to enhance and benefit our communities and of course, planet. 

Trees and woodland can provide shelter from sun, wind and rain, habitat for wildlife and remove carbon dioxide from the environment. 

However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes have to cut down a tree.  When we find a tree on our public land that could pose a risk to people or properties, we will have to remove it.  We won’t remove a tree if obstructs a view, interferes with a TV signal or if there’s excessive leaf fall.  Neither will we remove a healthy, mature tree to create space to plant new ones. 

But when we have to fell a tree, it doesn’t go to waste.  We will turn the break the tree down in our chipper and compost it so it can be used elsewhere.