In our community, every little action counts when it comes to protecting biodiversity! As part of the Dandelion Challenge, we’re encouraging you to take a simple yet effective step: wait to mow your lawn this spring. This small gesture allows bees and other pollinators to access the nectar and pollen they need to survive.
Pollinators are essential to our ecosystem and our food supply, and they need our help now more than ever. This May, let the dandelions bloom in your lawns and do your part to give them a much-needed boost!
The City is gradually getting on board!
This year, we’ll delay mowing specific vacant lots to support pollinators and lead by example. Of course, we’ll continue to mow in high-traffic areas like parks and green spaces.
Want to learn more and join the movement?
Frequently Asked Questions
The Challenge encourages a more flexible approach to lawn maintenance in the spring, when nectar and pollen availability is still low. After this initial boost, mowing resumes with a focus on differentiated management (e.g., flowered areas, mowed strips along the edges). This approach supports biodiversity without compromising cleanliness or safety.
Concrete actions to propose
- Partial mowing: maintain edges and sidewalks, leaving central areas taller.
- Mow after flowering (before seeds set) to limit seed dispersal.
- Overseed with clover and suitable flowers for more diverse ground cover.
In the spring, respiratory discomfort is primarily associated with wind-pollinated trees and herbaceous plants (e.g., certain grasses). Dandelions, which are more insect-pollinated—that is, they rely on pollinators—contribute little to atmospheric pollen levels. That said, they can be mowed after flowering to balance comfort with benefits for pollinating wildlife.
Ticks prefer tall, dense grass in shaded, moist areas. Differentiated management maintains short-grass areas for sensitive uses (playgrounds, intersections) and more natural areas elsewhere.
Recommendations: Stay on the trails, check yourself after spending time in tall grass, and mow specific areas as needed.
The Challenge is not about “letting things slide.” It proposes a maintenance schedule tailored to flowering cycles.
Resuming mowing (at a higher cutting height, with sharp blades) and practices such as overseeding and mulching promote a healthy, dense ground cover that is less conducive to the establishment of unwanted species.
Specific actions to recommend
- Cutting height: 8–10 cm to encourage deep rooting.
- Mow before dandelions go to seed to limit dispersal.
- Overseed with dwarf white clover/micro-clover or local perennials (depending on local policies).
The Challenge meets safety requirements: simply apply a cut-off strip where needed (e.g., 1 meter along sidewalks, at unobstructed corners of intersections) and ensure that heights comply with local regulations.
The early flowering window is critical for many pollinators that are less active in winter. The Challenge focuses on a quick boost in the spring, followed by landscaping efforts (flowering meadows, native perennials) to improve habitat quality throughout the year.
Suggest: (1) trimming the edges along fences; (2) mowing right after flowering to prevent seed dispersal; (3) overseeding to thicken the ground cover.
Encourage a friendly conversation with your neighbor and offer resources on maintenance.
- Delay the first mowing by a few weeks.
- Mow selectively: edges, pathways, and intersections.
- Mow after flowering to limit seed production.
- Enrich the lawn (with clover and suitable flowers) in the summer.
