Oct 20, 2023 5:15 PM EST
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Experts give you permission to stop raking your leaves this fall. Here’s why
ScienceAutumn is in full swing in communities across the United States, making your sidewalk stroll or mountain hike a little more colorful.
But some view fallen foliage as a mess to be conquered rather than a source of crunchy delight.
READ MORE: The science behind the aroma of fall
Experts say the hallmark of autumnal lawn care — attempting to do away with each leaf that falls on a person’s property — comes with an ecological price.
“Leaves are often thrown out — they’re treated as trash,” said Matthew Shepherd, director of outreach and education at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. By raking and bagging them all up, “we are inadvertently impoverishing our landscapes.”
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there are plenty of ways to put an abundance of leaves to good use if homeowners opt to work with nature rather than against it, advocates say.
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As temperatures drop, fallen leaves and the soil underneath offer crucial habitat for all kinds of creatures, including salamanders, frogs and rodents. Shepherd noted that this shelter is especially important for the smallest animals, mainly insects and other invertebrates. That list includes cocooned moths and bumblebee queens, as well as those that might be less eye-catching to humans.
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Leaf litter is also a destination for non-migrating birds like cardinals, who hop around feasting on the sheltering bugs below.
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In Shepherd’s garden, he leaves flower stems and seed heads standing, providing both extra groundcover and food options for wildlife. He gets the benefit of watching the birds over the fall and winter, an entertaining show from the warm indoors.
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Dead leaves play a major role in infusing soil with new nutrients. The invertebrates that come along to munch on the leaves start the process of breaking them down before microbes help finish the job.
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