No Mow May not offered this year

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – At its March 17 meeting, the Common Council voted not to adopt the No Mow May program for May 2026. This means that properties will be required to comply with Chapter 36, Section 302.4, Mun. Code, outlining the requirements for lawn maintenance.
Support native pollinators
Early-season forage for native pollinators and important insect habitats for those still in diapause (a type of hibernation) in early spring can be supported through other practices. Residents are encouraged to consider the following guidelines:
• Lawns that are chemically treated for weeds and pests will not be very beneficial for pollinators, no matter how long they grow. Consider limiting or eliminating chemical treatments.
• Native flowering plants, such as white clover, creeping charlie and dandelions, provide important food for pollinators, especially in May when many other spring blooms have not yet emerged. Consider allowing native plants to flower, then mow before they go to seed.
• Mowing grass several inches all at once is hard on plant health, leaving the grass vulnerable to drought. Consider allowing the grass to grow six to seven inches before cutting the tips off at your highest mower deck height. Increase deck heights and cut less frequently during the growing season. (Chapter 36, Section 302.4, Mun. Code allows grasses up to seven inches.)
• Hibernating pollinators can’t safely emerge in early spring. Leaves provide important insulation for hibernating bees, moths and butterflies, and some bees nest in stems until June or later. Consider waiting to remove winter leaves from your yard until you notice blooming trees and flowers with active bees. Leave the past season’s stems alone, and allow the new growth to cover them. If you want to remove the stems, find a place to safely stash the cut stems until the bees that might be nesting in them have a chance to emerge. Compost the stems in midsummer.