No Mow May a starting point for Manitobans to naturalize their yards: Nature Conservancy of Canada
No Mow May a starting point for Manitobans to naturalize their yards: Nature Conservancy of Canada
No Mow May a starting point for Manitobans to naturalize their yards: Nature Conservancy of Canada
A new initiative has started to sweep across the world calling on people to hold off on their spring cleanup to protect their backyard ecosystem.
No Mow May calls on people to leave their lawns and yards alone so that the insects and creatures in the yards have the ability to properly adjust to the warming weather.
“The idea sprung from the thought of giving a chance for your plants and your yards to wake up in the spring before you clean up your gardens or mow your lawns, to give some of the insects and species that live in the debris a chance to come out of hibernation and move around,” said Rebekah Neufeld, the manager of conservation, science and planning with the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Manitoba Region.
While the slogan – No Mow May – encourages people to hold off mowing for as long as possible, Neufeld said they want to see people expand on that thought and create a natural habitat in their yards.
“By just making small changes in our backyards we can kind of help conserve some of those species and give them a better chance to thrive.”
She said depending on where people live, they could have a variety of insects that call their yards home. Even small creatures like frogs could rely on how people care for their yards, she said.
Neufeld suggests people plant flowers and other plants that are natural to the area and can help the ecosystem thrive.
“It is also a really good chance for people to see and be more aware of the really cool plants and the nature in their backyard and maybe build that connection to nature close to home.”
A spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg said the city encourages biodiversity in people’s yard.
“Beneficial insects need a well-rounded habitat with a diversity of native species which would not commonly occur in a residential lawn or even a no mow area. The best way to meet the needs of beneficial insects is to dedicate a portion of your yard to them through the creation of year-round pollinator habitat by planting a native wildflower garden,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Neufeld said if everyone takes little steps toward cultivating a more vibrant ecosystem in their backyards, it could have a significant impact on nature as a whole.
“People will likely start seeing a lot more species in their backyards. So they could have pollinators that could support your gardens…you might see a lot more birds and other wildlife that are able to thrive in the area.”
Neufeld and the city said if people want more ideas on what to plant, they should talk to their local garden centres, with the city adding people should avoid big box stores that offer wildflower mixes.
A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said. The suspect remained on the loose hours later as authorities scoured the area.
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
A 41-year-old man will be charged with kidnapping and rape after an Edmonton girl who was missing for more than a week was found, Oregon City Police said.
COVID-19 cases are rising again in Canada, with the two fast-spreading Omicron sub-variants known as BA.4 and BA.5 to blame. CTVNews.ca has a guide to what you need to know about the new variants.
The federal government says it has signed a $20-billion final settlement agreement to compensate First Nations children and families harmed by chronic underfunding of child welfare.
More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former U.S. President Donald Trump, says a member of a U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection.
The family of an Ottawa man killed in a Canada Day crash in the west end says Tom Bergeron died exactly as he lived: selflessly thinking of others before himself.
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
A former employee at the Rexall Pharmacy on Bancroft Drive in Sudbury pleaded guilty Monday to writing fake fentanyl prescriptions worth more than $1.5 million.
A 41-year-old man will be charged with kidnapping and rape after an Edmonton girl who was missing for more than a week was found, Oregon City Police said.
Two “serious instances” involving people endangering crops to take selfies at a southern Ontario canola farm over the Canada Day long weekend have prompted police to warn the public about the potential consequences of trespassing into crop fields.
Hanna Kovalenko was leading a comfortable lifestyle with her husband and two little girls in Mariupol, Ukraine, when all of a sudden her hometown became the epicentre of a full-scale war.
More than dozen fire trucks from municipalities across Montreal's South Shore are battling a major fire at an industrial produce building in the Monteregie on Monday morning.
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
The CAT ferry, which sails between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbour, Maine, has sold more than 20,000 tickets so far this year, that’s up from the 15,100 tickets sold as of June 7.
Over 90,000 Prince Edward Island residents will see a top-up in their bank accounts to help alleviate the pressure of record inflation rates affecting the cost of living in the province.
Cannabis shops cropped up quickly across Waterloo region, but it seems some are now closing shop shortly after they arrived. At least one expert says the shift could point to signs of saturation as the heavily competitive fight for cannabis sales takes its toll.
A Puslinch, Ont. woman says her driveway will need to be repaved less than month after she came home to find strangers working on it without her prior consent.
The Victoria Police Department says two officers needed to "leap" out of the way of a large pickup truck after the driver tried to flee from them on Friday.
The mayor of Langford, B.C., and the city's retired fire chief are back in Canada after making a journey to Ukraine to provide humanitarian aid to people suffering amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
Researchers in Washington state are sounding the alarm over the health of the southern resident killer whale population, saying at least 13 of the orcas appear to be in poor condition.
