Please Leave The Leaves

For wildlife, for soil, for sanity

Fallen leaves are essential for the health of ecosystems. As a layer of organic materials above ground, they provide food, shelter, nesting or bedding, and overwintering materials to a variety of wildlife. One of the most valuable things we can do to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the winter cover they need in the form of autumn leaves. 

A wooly bear caterpillar folds, stretches and feels her way through dead wood on the hiking trail. She seems indifferent, unafraid even though she is tiny, about the size of a daisy petal. I hold out a leaf to make her travel easier, to get her off of the footpath, but she is determined, her route worked out, her destination clear.

Soon, she will tuck herself into a pile of leaves for protection from cold weather and predators.

The majority of butterflies and moths overwinter in the landscape as an egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, or adult and use leaves for winter cover. We would see more of these essential creatures if we gently raked leaves somewhere out of the way so they can survive instead of throwing them in landfills to suffocate.

Beautiful luna moths and swallowtail butterflies camouflage their cocoons and chrysalises in autumn leaves for protection. Bumblebees nest exclusively in the wild and rely on autumn leaves for protection from the elements. When wildflowers no longer bloom to provide nectar and pollen, queen bumble bees burrow an inch or two into Earth to hibernate for winter. Turtles, toads, salamanders, birds, and small mammals also rely on leaf litter for food, shelter and nesting material.

Swallowtail butterfly Photo by Josie Weiss

The soil is also a beneficiary of fallen leaves, as the leaves are composted over time into nutrients that feed a vast number of microbes, essential for healthy soil biology. Fallen leaves form a natural mulch that fertilizes the soil as they break down, and removing them by raking or using annoyingly noisy and polluting gas-powered blowers not only depletes the soil but eliminates vital habitat for wildlife.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks the average, unnecessary leaf blower with noise levels at about 90 decibels. About two hours of exposure to that level of noise can damage hearing and prolonged decibel levels at or above 65 can trigger stress levels, increases in blood pressure and heart rate, and is incredibly irritating for the increasing number of people trying to work from home.

Plus, nature's autumn bounty of fallen leaves isn't a problem for lawns and gardens. The practice of removal robs important nutrients from the yard which people often repurchase in another form like harmful chemicals and packaged fertilizer. Leaving the leaves can be an effective method of building soil (not to mention saving a lot of time and money). All plant life — whether in a yard or the woods — depends on healthy soil biology.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

🍂 If you still want a tidy yard, leaves can be gently raked into garden beds, flower beds, or as a mulch around trees. Covering garden beds with a thick mulch in the fall can be an effective and simple (and free) way to build soil fertility. You get the added benefit of moving your body and connecting with nature.

🍂 Leaves are a great addition to a home compost pile. By keeping a pile of leaves next to compost, thet can be used to cover layers of food scraps throughout the winter.

🍂 Autumn leaves are great mulch, totally free-of-charge and abundant wherever deciduous trees live.

🍂 Help to ban leaf blowers! Thankfully, hundreds of cities and counties have passed laws restricting or banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. Maybe you can encourage your town to do the same?

Wildlife knows no borders and if neighbors are doing vastly different things with land, it can be incredibly harmful. Most of us aren’t taught how to take care of our local ecosystems, it’s something we need to learn and share with others. We could all enjoy more of autumn’s beauty if we simply let leaves stay where they fall.