A British conservation charity Plantlife is urging councils and gardeners to keep their lawns uncut over May to let wild plants thrive and provide food and shelter for insects.
Similar campaigns in the previous years were very successful, where thousands of participants did not mow their gardens for a month, with this year's campaign "Every Flower Counts" giving a reward in the form of rare plants provided by the charity to participants who kept their lawns wild.
Last year, over 250 wild plant species were recorded in the survey among the participants, including wild strawberry, wild garlic, adder's-tongue fern, meadow saxifrage and eyebright, as well as many species of orchids.
The head of Plantlife, Ian Dunn, said: "These results demonstrate that our call to No Mow May has set seed and laid down deep roots. The results underline how embracing a little more wildness in our gardens can be a boon for plants, butterflies and bees. We are excited by the unfolding dawn of a new British lawn."
After May, people are asked to mow less throughout the summer and preferably leave at least a part of their garden untouched. Also, plants that are considered weeds should be welcomed in the gardens as, for example, dandelions can produce a significant amount of nectar to sustain a large number of insects compared with other flowers.
