No Mow May - LOL

I mowed for the first time yesterday. Yes, it is "No Mow May", but that doesn't work for my yard, which is mostly different "weeds", although there is some sort of grass interspersed. I don't sow grass seed or fertilize/weed kill, and I keep the mower blade at a high setting, so there are plenty of flowers besides the dandelions that everyone screams to not mow "for the bees". I don't usually have any trouble keeping bees and other pollinators in the yard. For yards that aren't overly maintained, there are plenty of flowers that don't stick out like the bright yellow, and relatively large dandelions. All pictures taken yesterday afternoon after mowing.

Okay, for the record, no, I didn't mow this area. But it has nothing to do with the dandelions and everything to do with this area being in shade and a fairly dry part of the yard. I didn't mow because the ground cover is still thin there so I'm waiting for it to fill in some to aid in soil retention. There are a couple of other areas in the yard that are even sparser, so I didn't mow those either.

The small wild strawberry flowers don't stick out, so you have to look close to see them. They are abundant in my yard

Wild violets are interspersed with the strawberries. In the yard itself, not many are blooming yest, but you'll see a good crop in a later picture

A creeping phlox has wandered out of a flower garden (where they are blooming well also). This one has decided to live on the wild side

In the driveway garden there are plenty of wild violets (the whitish variety). And another small patch of creeping phlox. Out of the picture, and to the right is the large patch of creeping phlox (which you have seen in previous posts)

This isn't wild, but the flowering almond buds have opened up

Forget-me-nots grow wild in the shade garden

Not wild again - but the forsythia is still in bloom, although I expect it to go by soon as flowers are starting to drop

I thought this was some sort of mint growing at the edge between the yard and the tree line out back. But someone on a forum pointed out it is garlic mustard (an invasive). after looking at the pdf on how to control it, I've found I've been pulling first year plants without even knowing it.

Everything white is wild violet (except those way in back by the trees - those are daffs)

Mow fail - LOL. This is a drainage area where the grass grows really well (as opposed to the yard where it gets sun - go figure). You can see I tried to mow but the grass is so high (8" or more) and it grows thickly. It was still wet and bogged down the mower so I left it. I'll have to use the weed eater on it when it dries out some

 

Comments

[Cop Car]

Your dad and I enjoy all of the flower photos, weeds or not. Our grass grows better in the shade near the woods, but it is cultivated varieties of fescue, a cool-season grass. The hot sun, fescues and blue grasses don't like.

[Cop Car]

P.S. Yes, this has been (another) banner year for the garlic mustard. I've spent a goodly length of time pulling out the adult plants next to the concrete block steps down to the woods. The immature plants aren't that identifiable unless we are really paying attention.