May 12, 2026
This May, Penryn Campus is celebrating No Mow May – a national campaign encouraging people to reduce mowing and create more space for nature to thrive.
By allowing lawns to grow naturally, wildflowers and native grasses are given time to grow. These plants provide essential food and shelter for pollinators and insects, which in turn support wider wildlife including birds, bats, hedgehogs and more!
Across the UK, pollinator populations are under increasing pressure due to habitat loss, climate change and intensive land management. Initiatives like No Mow May help create valuable habitats and wildlife corridors in both urban and rural environments.
What are we doing at Penryn Campus?
The FX Plus grounds team works hard to support biodiversity throughout the year. Large areas of grassland across campus are intentionally left uncut from spring through to late summer, allowing plants time to flower, seed and support local wildlife.
Grounds teams and sustainability staff are also supporting biodiversity by:
- Maintaining over five acres of wild grassy areas that are cut only once or twice a year after flowering and seeding has finished
- Creating and caring for wildflower areas across campus, including around the Lime Avenue and veteran oak trees
- Managing pathways and clearings through meadow areas so that people can continue to enjoy and access these spaces
- Clearing sprawling brambles to make way for wildflowers and native planting
- Sowing wildflower seeds and planting new shoots to encourage greater species diversity
- Tracking hedgehogs to understand which areas of campus are supporting healthy ecosystems
The universities are also investing in new equipment to support sustainable grounds management. A new ride-on mower, funded by the University of Exeter and FX Plus, will help grounds teams collect and manage grass cuttings more efficiently.
“It’s going to be great, I think it will really scale up and improve our management of the wild grassy areas on campus and hopefully lead to more diversity and abundance of wildflowers in the future” said Alasdair Garnett, Gardener at FX Plus.
How can students and staff get involved?
There are lots of simple ways to support nature during No Mow May:
- Leave parts of your lawn or garden uncut and observe what species appear
- Grow native, pollinator-friendly plants in pots or gardens – English lavender is a great option for small spaces and attracts bees
- Share photos of wildlife spotted around campus
- Stick to pathways around rewilded areas to help protect emerging plants and habitats
See here for more information about No Mow May: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/
And here for more information about sustainability initiatives at FX Plus: https://fxplus.ac.uk/content/campus-information/sustainability/
