The University will be taking part in Plantlife’s No Mow May initiative for the fourth time this year. The initiative is all about not mowing green spaces during the month of May to give wildflowers a chance to bloom, which in turn provide a feast for pollinators, tackle pollution and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground.

We first got involved in 2020, have been increasing the number of areas left unmown ever since and are currently identifying more places that can be left for wildlife. The majority of areas that are left unmown are within accommodation but this is likely to expand to include the green spaces around Tocil Lakes. In addition to the unmown areas, we are also sowing beds of wildflowers and have a large meadow running along the Spine Route from the Sports Hub to central campus. These areas will begin to look their best over the coming weeks and months so we would encourage you to try to find the time to take a lunchtime walk to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of spring and early summer.

The UK has lost nearly 97% of flower rich meadows since the 1970’s and with them many pollinators like bees and butterflies. With over 20 million gardens in the UK, we could all play out part in nature recovery by leaving areas of our gardens unmown, building bug hotels, creating wet spaces and much more.

If you would like to learn more about what species we have on campus, join us on 24th May and 20th June between 1-2pm, where we will be hosting biodiversity walks around campus. We will be joined by Coventry City Council Ecology team, and will be using the iNaturalist app to document different fauna and flora. It is a great way to learn more about our local environment! Sign up here.

The Sustainability Team would love to hear from you if you take part in No Mow May at home or if you’ve encouraged neighbours, friends, family or even the local council to get involved. Please share your images with them by emailing sustainability@warwick.ac.uk or on social media @WarwickUniSust.