'No Mow 'Til Mother's Day' Initiative Underway In Glenview

GLENVIEW, IL — With warmer temperatures in the forecast next week, residents are beginning to think about spring, which officially starts on March 20. The Village of Glenview and the Environment and Natural Resources Commission is once again organizing its annual "No Mow 'til Mother's Day" initiative, intended to support the local ecology, the habitats of pollinators and area wildlife.

From now through Mother's Day on May 11, residents are being encouraged to skip mowing their lawn (or a portion of their lawn). Residents can sign up here. Once registered, residents will receive a lawn sign and be exempt from lawn mowing code enforcement through Mother's Day each year. The lawn sign must be visible from the street and placed on private property (avoid placing signs in parkways — the space between the sidewalk and the street).

According to Glenview officials, signs can be picked up at Village Hall after registering. Call the Village at 847-904-4300 if special accommodation is needed.

"No Mow May" is a Bee City USA conservation project. The intention is to let the grass grow during May to create habitat and forage for native bees and other early-season pollinators. The movement was popularized by Plant Life in the United Kingdom during the pandemic and came to Appleton, Wisconsin in 2020.

The City Council there, acting on a petition signed by 435 property owners, agreed to suspend weed ordinances for the month of May, according to a WBAY report. Partnering Lawrence University researchers found five times the number of bees and three times the number of bee species in lawns that weren’t mowed compared with city parks that were mowed, according to research published online.

Regular lawn care code enforcement will resume one week after Mother's Day, according to the Village of Glenview. Residents may choose to designate their entire lawn or a portion of their lawn to the no-mow event, which would still benefit the local ecology.

For more information, to see a FAQ list and to sign up, visit glenview.il.us/no-mow.