Nature Nurtures is a column in our local news paper the Lake County Press which I voluntarily write for. To purchase a subscription to the Lake County Press click on the link below, or purchase copies at any of several Two Harbors establishments.
A long season of winter has us anxious to get out and clean up our yards and gardens. We all look forward to outdoor tasks again especially while mosquitos are still vacant. Soon bumblebees and fireflies will make their presence known, but there are a couple of key management strategies for keeping healthy habitat. There is now a trendy push for "no mow May" and while it is beneficial to mow less, let turf grass grow to 4", and have a variety of plants incorporated into your lawn space, we can make a difference by waiting. Cleaning up leaf litter and plant debris to early can have negative impacts on those butterflies, bees and beneficial insects that are about to emerge. This debris is harboring and protecting these creatures until temperatures reach ~50F when many of them begin their springtime duties.
As printed in the Lake County Press May 21st, 2022 Vol. 1 No. 17
