Our Nature Park Municipalities Join No Mow May Movement

The municipalities of the Our Nature Park in northern Luxembourg have announced that they are joining the "No Mow May" movement.

Under the Luxembourgish name "Méi net am Mee", this initiative, which asks people to not mow green spaces in residential areas throughout the month of May, has been gaining more and more support.

This year, the Our Nature Park municipalities have decided to actively participate in this initiative by not mowing certain meadows in May. This measure aims to raise awareness of more nature-friendly maintenance of meadows and thus to create important habitats and food sources for local animal species.

As the municipalities explained, changing mowing practices helps native wild flowers and plants flourish better. This is essential because many native insects, like wild bees, rely on native wildflowers as a food source. Animals such as hedgehogs also benefit from nature-friendly maintained meadows.

The "Méi net am Mee" action is open to everyone, including individuals and organisations. Participants can show their support for the initiative by sticking a sticker on their mailbox, available in the town halls of the member municipalities of the Our Nature Park, namely: Clervaux, Kiischpelt, Parc Hosingen, Putscheid, Tandel, Troisvierges, Vianden and Wincrange. The municipality of Weiswampach is currently a candidate for membership and is also participating in the initiative.

In addition, the Our Nature Park is calling for photos of unmown meadows to be sent via email (subject: "Méi net am Mee") to insekten@naturpark-our.lu. There are signs in place indicating hte public green spaces concerned.

A month (May) without mowing is considered a first step towards maintaining meadows in a way that is more respectful of nature, but there are other criteria to respect. This includes not leaving green waste on the surface in order to avoid an unwanted supply of nutrients. The participating municipalities added that it is important not to mow before 15 June, to allow wildflowers ample time to flower and seed and to allow most insect larvae to fully develop. Moreover, meadows should not be completely mowed at once in order to preserve refuges.

Further information about the initiative is available online at https://insekten.lu/.