Leave Your Leaves
Let’s all agree to spend more time hiking (or even watching Netflix) than raking leaves this fall.
Why?
Raking leaves contributes to carbon emissions, robs our soils of nutrients, and removes crucial overwintering habitat for insects.
Hauling plastic bags of leaves to the dump, or letting your city remove them, creates unnecessary landfill waste. Without oxygen, leaf decomposition creates the greenhouse gas methane. According to the EPA, leaves and yard debris account for more than 13 percent of our waste—33 million tons a year.
Leaves add carbon to the soil and build a richer soil composition. This means healthier plants!
Who benefits from leaving the leaves?
Bumblebees use leaf cover as protection when they hibernate underground. Many native bees, like leafcutter and mason bees, nest and lay their eggs in the ground or in hollow plant stems. This creates a safe hiding place for young to emerge in spring.
North American Luna Moth (Actias luna)
Great spangled fritillary and woolly bear caterpillars bury into leaves for protection from the cold and predators.
Luna moths and swallowtail butterflies camouflage their cocoons and chrysalises as dried leaves.
Many insects and animals hibernate under leaf litter (either as adults, eggs, or pupae) such as: assassin bugs, lacewings, damsel bugs, snails, worms, spiders, millipedes, frogs, and more.
What can we do?
For those who prefer a manicured yard, the idea of leaving the leaves might sound quite annoying. Also, if the leaf cover is very thick, leaves can suffocate the grass or breed fungus.
Here are your best options for dealing with leaves:
Good: Use a lawn mower to cut up leaves into leaf mulch. Rake into a pile and let them sit over winter. Use as soil amendment or mulch.
Better: Start a compost by piling your leaves in a 3’ x 3’ pile and add grass clippings and kitchen waste (see our How-To Composting Guide!). Or, just rake them into a pile and let them decompose naturally.
Best: Rake leaves into garden beds and let them create a nice mulch, feed your plants, and retain moisture. If you like that fresh look, mulch over leaves lightly in spring (best done once temps reach 50 degrees and insects have emerged). Or, do nothing and leaves lay where they fall.
