Why Leave the Leaves?
It wouldn’t be fall without every conservation agency and ecology focused social media page screaming “LEAVE THE LEAVES!”
SO….what does this mean?
This catchy slogan turns the complicated nature of the interconnectedness of our ecosystem into a comprehendible and actionable act (or rather the lack there of). Do you leave the leaves?….And more importantly, do you know why? Here are just a handful of reasons on why so many say LEAVE THE LEAVES!
Soil- leaves create a layer of organic matter that suppresses weeds, regulates moisture, breaks down into nutrients, and protects soil surface from heavy rainfall.
Plant Health-leaves provide insulation to plants in the winter and protect the soil during the growing season giving you happier plants
Habitat- Invertebrates use leaves to overwinter and lay their eggs on. Butterflies, Lightning Bugs, Moths, and Bees all use leaves for habitat. Salamanders, Box Turtles, Toads, Birds, Frogs and More all use these leaves as well!
According to the U.S. EPA, yard debris (Including leaves) account for over 13% of the U.S. solid waste or 33 million tons/yr. Solid waste landfills are the largest source of man-made methane in the U.S. Allowing the leaves to decompose naturally in an oxygen rich environment like your yard reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
A piece of an article directly from the Xerces Society and a link to the full article:
Great spangled fritillary and woolly bear caterpillars tuck themselves into leaf piles for protection from cold weather and predators.
Red-banded hairstreaks lay their eggs on fallen oak leaves, which become the first food of the caterpillars when they emerge.
Luna moths and swallowtail butterflies disguise their cocoons and chrysalises as dried leaves, blending in with the “real” leaves.
Bumble bees create nests in cavities underground, in trees, or in brush piles. They prefer abandoned rodent burrows. At the end of summer, mated queen bumble bees burrow only an inch or two into the earth to hibernate for winter. An extra thick layer of leaves is welcome protection from the elements.
30% of native bees are tunnel-nesting, such as leafcutter and mason bees. These solitary-nesting species need narrow tunnels or other tiny spaces in dead wood, hollow stems, or brush piles.
Yellow spotted millipede juveniles eat humus, the rich organic layer of decayed plants and animal matter at the surface of the forest floor.
Stick insects drop more than 100 eggs from treetops that free-fall to the ground, where they overwinter in the leaf litter until spring. These eggs are disguised to look just like seeds. The ruse attracts ants, who take the seeds back to their nests and bury them, where the baby stick insects hatch safely beneath the soil.
Some people shred their leaves as mulch. This approach is technically better than taking your leaves to the landfill. Although the downside of mulching the leaves is that it doesn’t provide the same cover, disturbs the soil habitat, and can destroy overwintering insect populations.
I hope you feel inspired to be lazy this fall and LEAVE THE LEAVES! Take care of your wildlife neighbors and watch as they will take care of you.
