With a proclamation at Monday night’s Des Moines City Council meeting, Mayor Frank Cownie encourages residents to skip mowing their lawns for May. That means the city will not enforce mowing rules for May, and enforcement will begin again in June.

The goal of less mowing is to increase habitat for pollinators – bees, birds, flies, beetles, and more. Pollinating creatures travel from plant to plant to transfer pollen collected on their bodies – the critical genetic material is part of the reproductive system of most flowering plants. Pollinators are responsible for helping create one of every three bites of food consumed.

The proclamation comes from the City and its Sustainability Office to increase green infrastructure and support ecologic systems in the city and throughout Central Iowa. It also encourages other ways of assisting pollinating animals by planting native wildflowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees.