Bored with manicured lawns, some homeowners adopt No Mow May all year long

AP News ^ | Updated 12:21 PM CDT, May 22, 2025 | KRISTIN M. HALL

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I live on the edge of an undeveloped woodland. No rats evident. Caught lots of squirrels, rabbits, possums, raccoons, red foxes, coyotes, turkeys and deer on my trail cams, but no rats.

[Chickensoup]

Nor mice?

Rats aren’t trail cam creatures. Nor are voles.

I live in the middle of 30 acres with another 150 abutting

I have a small stream.i am about 30 minutes from ocean. I assume the rats come up from the ocean through the river and follow the tributaries and up the stream.

[CenTex]

This makes no sense at all!!!

How does cutting that which needs pollinating assist pollinators that need pollen?

Please show or refer me to your source. I have done a lot of studying of Texas wildlife and native plants and I have never seen a recommendation like this.

BTW, I have 250 acres that is in the Texas wildlife program and to me that includes native plants. I am a practicing member of the Native Plant Society of Texas...

I purchased a heavy duty zero-turn “Bad Boy” mower today and a couple of hours ago took it on its maiden run. I had to do a lot of “zero turning” to miss the wildflowers setting their seeds... It will set idle until mid June when I will start mowing about a hundred acres to get rid of unwanted brush (Mesquite and such).

I can assure you, we have a fantastic display of wild flowers from March until late June most years... This year was terrible because of lack of rain last fall.

[redfreedom]

But for people that live in or near the woods, like we do many critters on are on our lawn. We’ve never seen a rat, but the mice, ground squirrels, skunks, raccoons, snakes, hordes of insects, deer, coyotes etc. Keeping the grass mowed removes the natural cover they hide in and thus keeps them farther away from home.

We cannot keep an outside cat. Within a month they will be a meal for some bird of prey or coyotes.