Is 'No mow May' beneficial or harmful to insects and wildlife?

No mow May has been and gone. Have you left a wild patch in your garden for the bugs and bees to enjoy or have you gone back to a manicured low cut lawn? 

There are many interesting questions surfacing around the 'No mow May' concept such as: 

How does not mowing your grass help the environment? 

Can now mow May harm the environment? 

What are the negatives to mowing grass after a month of letting it grow?

Are we confusing animals and insects when mowing after no mow may? 

What could we do instead? 

Those are just a few questions I've be hearing and they are ones that got me thinking, are we helping or harming wildlife with the 'no mow May' scheme that seems to be growing in popularity here in the UK. 

I'm not talking here about the re-wilding projects that are increasing around the UK, those that are left yearlong to grow freely. There is no doubt in my mind that those are beneficial to bugs and wildlife. I'm thinking here about those who take part in only the 'no mow may' letting their garden grass grow for just a month and then cutting it all down when May ends going back to a low cut lawn space. 

Plantlife a useful website that talks about the scheme, appears to be very supportive of No mow May and put forward some strong arguments for the support of it.  

I understand that the idea came about as a way to try and help bugs and wildlife through what is known as the 'hunger gap', a time where there is less food and shelter for them and when they need it the most. I can see how it can help but I can also see how it might too, cause possible confusion and end with potentially the cull of many bugs and wildlife at the end of May. 

I've not yet found all the answers to the questions i mention above, I'm still reading and researching so that I can form some sort of conclusion. 

I don't actually have any grass of my own yet I still find the concept fascinating and as someone with an interest in environmentalism anything that effects nature and wildlife always gets me thinking. I do try and do as much as i can to help plants, pollinators and wildlife all year round in my tiny courtyard. 

If you know of any articles, books or studies that I might find helpful please do let me know in the comments. I'm keen to learn more and see if there is anything more I can be doing to help the natural world.