Leave Your Leaves This Autumn

Just a quick reminder that it really helps local wildlife if you don't rake up your leaves! Even setting them to the side of your yard in a pile will help, and here's how:

1. Leaf litter provides native bees a place to hibernate (this includes bumblebees!)

2. Moths and butterflies lay their eggs in fallen leaves

3. Leaf litter acts as a natural fertilizer for your lawn

4. The insects living in fallen leaves are a food source for birds through the winter

5. Turtles bury themselves in leaf litter to keep warm in colder temperatures

6. Roly-polies eat leaf litter as one of their main food sources

Leave a comment if you learned something new, and let us know how you help native wildlife during the winter!

References:

V, Charlotte. Where Do Bees Go in Winter? Woodland Trust. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2022/11/where-do-bees-go-in-winter/

M, Andy. To Help Birds This Winter, Go Easy on Fall Yard Work. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/magazine/help-birds-winter-go-easy-fall-yard-work

T, Lauren. Why You Should Leave the Leaves. National Wildlife Federation. https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2015/OctNov/Gardening/Leave-the-Leaves

J, Emma. Life in the Litter. National Wildlife Federation. https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2020/Dec-Jan/Gardening/Winter-Yards