Notes from Lead Naturalist & Wildlife Care Specialist

Leave the Leaves 

by Emily Hutto

Autumn is finally here!  If you’re like me, it’s your favorite time of the year - sweater weather, sipping a warm pumpkin spice latte, upcoming holidays, the leaves changing color, the crisp air…and a yard full of fallen leaves to rake up….right?

Raking leaves is an autumn chore that many people dread. Hundreds of leaves, littering your yard, just waiting for you to spend hours on a Saturday raking and bagging them up when you would much rather be doing anything else. What if I told you that you didn’t have to rake up those leaves - and even better, you shouldn’t rake them up? By simply leaving them alone and not doing a dreaded chore, you could help save the environment!

As a naturalist, it is common for people to ask me, “why do I not see fireflies anymore? I used to see hundreds when I was a child, and now I don’t see any”, or “where have all of the insects gone? I never see bees pollinating my flowers anymore.”

There is a two part answer to this question. First, do you bag up your leaves in the fall? If the answer is “yes”, that’s where all of your fireflies and insects have gone - they’re bagged up with your leaves and being driven to the landfill.

The second part is - what kind of plants are you planting in your yard - natives or non-natives? If you have more non-natives than natives, then the insects don’t have any food, since they mainly eat native plants. (If you’re not sure where to find native plants, we host a biannual plant sale at Ruffner Mountain every year in October and April. We have dozens of species for you to choose from, and members get a 10% discount!)

When we look at our yard of leaves in the fall, we see just that - leaves. But if you take a closer look, those leaves are teeming with life. They are covered in firefly and other insect eggs, baby millipedes, and caterpillars. Leaves provide warmth and protection for bees and other insects that burrow into the ground over the winter. When we bag up our leaves and have the dump truck take them to the landfill, we are not just bagging up our leaves - we are bagging up all of our pollinating insects as well. Leaves also are full of nutrients, and when they break down in the spring, they provide very important supplements for the soil, helping our plants grow. Plus, they’re natural and biodegradable - it doesn’t make much sense to put them in a plastic bag! 

If you do need to remove leaves from your yard, gather them up by raking or blowing them (not mowing) so they stay intact, and then use them as mulch - spread them in your garden or around your landscaping. This will save the insects living in the leaves, help the bees survive the winter, AND provide lots of nutrients for your spring garden! It’s a win-win for everyone!

You can make a huge positive impact on the environment this winter and help save the fireflies, birds, bats, and insects by simply ignoring your chores - so kick back, turn on the Hallmark Channel, sip your warm apple cider, enjoy the holidays, and ignore your yard until spring, when you can plant some natives!

Plant native plants and leave the leaves, and you will start to see more insects, and in turn, more birds and bats as well.

Make a difference this fall - save the fireflies, plant natives, and LEAVE THE LEAVES!