Often, we discover something that was a mainstream behavior that should be discontinued. This can be based upon research that drives legislation, like the banning of DDT that helped Bald Eagles recover from decline, and the reduction in CFC use and the recovery of the ozone layer. Sometimes it is also based upon a change in personal responsibility and values.
More people are concerned about ecosystem destruction, and research is alerting us to how we individually play a role in that. This article is based upon research and is a suggestion for you to adapt your customary yard management practices to help a struggling ecosystem. I’m asking you to be open, to be creative, and to help us as we keep on fixin’ the Fox. Here is the ask: leave the leaves to do their ecosystem jobs.
Leaves are an important part of the ecosystem that have been here for tens of thousands of years. Our lawn culture is less than 100 years old.
Break the Culture
As humans, we are infants on the landscape, but we do incredible harm, often without any knowledge of what we are harming. Leaf disposal in the fall is an example. Few of us want to contribute to the decline of insects and birds, but our common practices do that.
Loving Leaves
During the spring and summer growing season, leaves work as a production facility, collecting sunlight and producing sugars and oxygen through photosynthesis. Many of those leaves are food and habitat for a variety of animals. When the work season is coming to a close, the plants collect the precious chlorophyll from the leaves and store it for next year’s use. Removing that green pigment allows the other pigments present to show their brilliant colors, and the leaves are finally set free to waltz their way down to the ground floor. The fall foliage color show is even a tourist attraction for many. But despite food production that humans have yet to match, and displays of beauty we all anticipate, these amazing leaves soon become a disposal challenge for masses of well-meaning yard managers.
Leaves Have More Jobs
On the ground, a new job assignment begins for leaves. For the woody vegetation, the leaves provide an insulation layer protecting roots from frigid above ground temperatures (it is a warm 50 F in the ground) and they hold scarce moisture during winter’s drought. As they slowly decompose, they add to the organic component of the soil. It is a physical component, but also a contribution of chemical nutrients. And they provide habitat. The leaf layer is essential to the survival of a wide variety of animals, including spiders, snails, worms, beetles, millipedes, mites and more. They, in turn, support the chipmunks, turtles, birds and amphibians that rely on these insects for food.
Birds Need Your Leaves
Bird populations are generally on a sharp decline. They need our help. You can help by leaving the leaves where you can. The leaves provide a surface for ecologically essential insect eggs and are the first food for caterpillars. That is the case for the caterpillars that develop into so many of our beautiful butterflies and moths. Those caterpillars will provide crucial food for the spring bird community. Putting up bird feeders with grains will not replicate the nutrition needs of the early spring bird communities. The leaves that were discarded may have held the eggs and larval stages like caterpillars that are essential for birds to be feeding to their new hatchlings. It is a little gruesome to imagine that our leaf removal rituals are executing countless life forms that will also pressure spring’s new births with limited food. And it is not just leaves, as it also is the case for remaining plant stalks. You can avoid this with the delay of yard tidying until spring. That’s what nature does. Try it.
Leaves Build Healthy Soil
When you collect and dispose of your leaves, you rob your yard of soil amendments, nutrient recycling, and habitat. And then, come spring, you need a regime of chemical fertilizer and herbicides, aeration and watering to create a “healthy” lawn. Leaves are often removed from lawns based upon the fears that if left there, they will smother turf. If you have a weak yard ecosystem, that may be somewhat true. However, if you explore areas where the leaves are not removed, you may be surprised that various organisms and physical weathering break down leaf matter into small pieces that fall between grass blades. Consider that our woodlands end up with a deep layer of leaves in the fall, and when spring arrives green growth pushes through them and results in a green forest floor. In your yard, a mower helps that process but may damage eggs and organisms.
Be Creative
This year, recognize that nature knows best and treat your yard as an ecosystem. Working with nature is a sustainable path. Working against nature is not. Consider leaf management practices that protect plants through the winter and provide essential food for wildlife returning in the spring. Basically, leave the leaves where practical – in flower beds, around trees and shrubs, and along property borders. Nobody is judging you. The butterflies and birds will appreciate your efforts. Be creative in your approach.
Neighbors
Your neighbors may wonder if your leaf blower is broken or if you ran out of paper disposal bags. You can share with them that you are working to provide them with butterflies and singing birds in the spring.
There’s More
Transitioning to a yard dominated by native and low-maintenance vegetation is also a great ecosystem boost for your natural friends. More on that in the spring. Here are some ideas from our friends at Wild Ones. (Keep clicking through the buttons for more information).
