‘No Mow May’ Ends In Edina: What Residents Should Know

EDINA, MN — More than 1,100 properties in Edina let their lawns grow long last month for “No Mow May,” a monthlong effort to support pollinators in the region.

The Edina City Council adopted a “No Mow May” resolution earlier this year that directed inspectors to temporarily suspend enforcement of some portions of the City Code for properties that registered to participate.

The city’s online tracker shows residents at 1,182 properties registered to participate in “No Mow May.” Those residents who kept their lawn mowers and weed trimmers in storage since the start of May have until June 15 to bring their lawns back into compliance.

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The Edina City Code requires residents to cut their lawns before the length of grass or any weed reaches 10 inches in height.

Click here for more information on the "No Mow May" initiative and tips on how to mow to keep a healthy lawn, grow pollinator-friendly landscapes, plant and maintain a bee lawn and more.

The city's "No Mow May" initiative was partly based on research that suggests bees and pollinators use “no-mow” spaces as critical floral resources in the upper Midwest during early spring, according to the resolution passed in March.

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Edina sustainability manager Grace Hancock said the city had residents in townhomes, condo associations and even other cities try to register their properties in the initiative .

"Regardless of their living situation, the City has seen through the popularity of this program how people want their homes and yards to reflect their values, and are looking for ways to take climate actions that are meaningful, manageable and make common sense," Hancock told Patch.

Edina was one of at least four municipalities in the Twin Cities region where residents participated in the "No Mow May" initiative. West St. Paul, Mendota Heights and New Brighton also passed similar resolutions, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported.

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Participation in the initiative "supports all of Minnesota's pollinators," which include native bees, honey bees, ants, flies, birds and butterflies, Hancock said.

Leaving mowers in storage through May protects habitats for native bees and lets plants that are rich in nectar and other nutrients grow as pollinator food "at a time when pollinators need it most," Hancock said.

"No Mow May" aligns with Edina's "commitment to climate action, and provides an opportunity for community members to be a part of a more climate resilient Edina that in a small way helps ensure a healthy environmental future for all," Hancock said.

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Edina’s Climate Action Plan — adopted in December — includes a goal of increasing "pollinator supportiveness." Edina officials are aiming to replace 250 acres of lawns by 2030 with native grasses and wildflowers, which improve water quality and reduce air pollution, among other benefits, according to the plan.

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