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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Patrick Barkham

Letting grass grow long boosts butterfly numbers, UK study proves

A chequered skipper butterfly in long grass.
A chequered skipper butterfly, which requires long grass year round to thrive. Photograph: Andrew Cooper/PA

Good news for lazy gardeners: one labour-saving tweak could almost double the number of butterflies in your garden, according to a new scientific study – let the grass grow long.

In recent years nature lovers have been extolling the benefits of relaxed lawn maintenance with the growing popularity of the #NoMowMay campaign. Now an analysis of six years of butterfly sightings across 600 British gardens has provided the first scientific evidence that wilder lawns boost butterfly numbers.

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