Did you know that our gardens cover more than 660,000 acres of green space in the UK? That is an area seven times the size of the Isle of White; it is also a huge area of opportunity to create vital wildlife habitats.

If you are lucky enough to have a garden with a lawn, May is a great month to let your garden grow, leave your lawn mower in the shed and let nature do its thing.

In just four short weeks, a lawn left alone will quickly transform into a biodiversity hotspot; long grass is one of the rarest habitats in our gardens and is incredibly beneficial for wildlife. Allowing your grass to grow gives wildflowers like daisies and clover a chance to flower, which boosts nectar production and provides a feast for local insects.

Of course, you don't have to let all of your garden grow wild, just a small patch or strip will still have lots of benefits. Our gardens provide us with so much joy and there is no other experience like sitting out and watching your garden buzz with the life of busy pollinating bees, fluttering butterflies and the many songs of garden birds.

If managed with wildlife in mind, our gardens can become mini green havens for lots of local wildlife species, including hedgehogs, birds, beetles and butterflies.

You’re only 5 steps away from a wildlife-rich lawn:

• Give your lawn a trim to tidy up wet weather growth and then decide which parts of your lawn you can comfortably allow to grow wild.

• If you are happy with allowing all of your grass to grow, that's great! Lock your lawnmower in the shed and relax! If you prefer to dedicate a specific area or patch to grow - decide which area you are comfortable with, preferably away from children and pets. Front gardens are a good place to start, as well as verges and edges or try cutting a trail or maze into your longer grass and listen to the buzz of pollinators as you wander through.

• Introduce spring bulbs and/or plug plants into existing grass to make the most of your new ‘no mow’ area. Good candidates are crocus, bluebells, and cowslips – all of which have finished flowering by the end of June when you can mow over them – if you must!

• Ditch the pesticides! We are at great risk of losing our insects and insects are the key to healthy, thriving ecosystems. Harmful pesticides are a huge threat to our insect populations so opting for a natural pesticide or cutting the use completely would be extremely beneficial to wildlife.

• Weeds are wildflowers! Plants such as nettles, daisies, dandelions, and buttercups are important sources of nectar. They flower for a long time, whatever the weather, and provide food when other sources might be absent. Avoid pulling these species of plant, as they may be the vital pit stop for a pollinator.