Wild Lawns and Urban Meadows
What?
Lawns don’t have to be uniform green carpets — they can be living meadows buzzing with life. By varying how and when you mow, you can create a patchwork of grassy habitats that feed pollinators, shelter invertebrates, and support birds and small mammals. Even the smallest patch of grass can become part of the Island’s wider network of species-rich grasslands.
Where?
Everywhere: gardens, school fields, business grounds, parks, and community spaces. On the Isle of Wight, from chalk downland edges to village greens, grasslands are part of the Island’s natural heritage — and every lawn can help connect these landscapes. For site-specific actions, check out the Isle of Wight Habitat Map, and find out what is particularly special around your garden or space.
How?
Create a mosaic. Keep some areas mown short for paths and play, and let others grow long to flower and seed.
Delay the first cut until July, then mow some areas regularly to keep short patches open.
For meadow areas, mow once in spring, then leave until late summer before cutting and collecting hay.
Collect and remove cuttings to reduce soil nutrients — wildflowers prefer nutrient-poor soils.
Allow the seedbank to express itself. Many native plants such as clover, selfheal and trefoil will reappear naturally once mowing is relaxed.
Leave some grass stalks long over winter — butterfly pupae and other insects use them for shelter.
Include bare patches of soil for solitary bees and native wasps to nest.
Mix in plug plants or seed mixes of locally sourced meadow species if you want to speed up diversity.
When?
Grass management is seasonal. Plan mowing around flowering and seeding times — generally one main cut in late summer (August–September) and another in late autumn or early spring if needed. Avoid cutting everything at once; rotate to leave some refuge each year.
Why?
Wild lawns save effort and resources while supporting biodiversity, improving soil health, and storing carbon. They bring colour, fragrance, and sound — the hum of bees and the flutter of butterflies — back into everyday spaces. For the Isle of Wight, expanding small patches of species-rich grassland strengthens ecological connections between the Island’s downlands, verges and wetlands.
Actions for Isle of Wight Species
Butterflies such as meadow brown, common blue, and marbled white depend on wildflower-rich grasslands for nectar and caterpillar food plants. Some butterflies rely on a single plant, so see what you want to attract and plant their favourites, for example, the Adonis Blue’s caterpillar only eats Horseshoe Vetch.
Bees and hoverflies forage on clover, vetch, and dandelion species in unmown patches.
Grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles thrive in tall grass, feeding birds like swallows and starlings.
Frogs and toads use damp grass margins for cover and feeding.
Small mammals such as voles and shrews nest and feed in tussocky grass.
Observe and Record
Take photos before and after — even a few months apart shows change.
Note what wildlife visits: bees, birds, butterflies, mosses.
Watching your patch change is part of the recovery story — and your records can feed into the Island’s Local Nature Recovery data.
Resources
Plantlife – No Mow May & Meadows Advice
Gardening for Butterflies - Butterfly Conservation
Island Nature Habitat Map – find local grassland habitats near you.
“Delivers various LNRS grassland measures, dependent on geology, but crucial for wildlife wherever they are delivered: LGH4.1 Urban Meadows.”