Why leaving the leaves is better for your yard and the environment

Nothing really ushers in the winter like falling leaves and a day spent raking, leaf blowing, and mowing to clean up all the dropped foliage. The short lived beauty of “leaf peeping” season and the childhood fun of jumping into the freshly raked piles is often overshadowed by the inexplicable desire to keep the lawn pristine and clean before snow falls in a couple weeks.

But this labor intensive lawn care is not a requirement for a healthy, wildlife-friendly yard. Leaving the leaves can help your yard, our pollinators, and the planet.

Native bee populations are especially in need of our help, facing threats from climate change, habitat loss, disease, and pesticides. If we make some easy changes in everyday lawn care we can help address some of these threats.

Leaves provide pollinators with homes

Leaves provide a crucial insulation layer for pollinators like bees and butterflies that take shelter underground. Around 70% of the world’s bee species live underground, but they need extra protection when the temperatures drop in the winter months. Fallen leaves also act as shelters for pollinators that build their homes on the ground.

Some bees also find homes within other plants and flowers that get swept up in the fall foliage frenzy. So, cleaning up leaves and yard waste in pursuit of a pristine lawn could both take away possible pollinator homes and ruin already occupied plants.

Birds like the leaves too

Allowing pollinators to flourish in their leaf-covered homes helps birds. Without leaves to provide shelter and protection, insect survival rates can plummet, taking away a main food source for many birds and small animals. The repercussions of further deterioration of bee habitats can have effects that ripple through entire ecosystems, from bees to birds to bears. 

Fallen leaves are good for your garden

Leaving a layer that covers about one-fifth or less of your yard, will create nutrient rich soil in the spring. That’s because the leaves will decompose over the winter and act as a natural fertilizer.

If you are lucky enough to have multiple, big, beautiful trees and find yourself with a yard covered in leaves, you can still take advantage of the potential offered by the crinkling leaves and move some piles towards the bases of trees, home gardens, or even use them to start your own compost pile.

If you still need to clean up your leaves, go gas-free

The leaf blowers and lawn mowers that make fall foliage clean up easier are also big contributors to air pollution. Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment is responsible for 30 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Leaving the leaves allows you to reduce your home’s carbon footprint while also having the positive pollinator and garden benefits, but if you find yourself staring at pesky leaves covering your yard, opt for a rake or electric-powered leaf blower. And, don’t forget to watch out for pollinator homes on the ground.

After the leaves fall in Massachusetts, winter is coming. Being patient and waiting for the first snow to cover the leaves is a far better solution for our pollinators and our planet than spending the day cleaning up your leaves. Take the new time to go enjoy fall activities, and see the benefits when the spring flowers start poking through.

To learn about other ways to protect our pollinators, check out this article on how to avoid bee-killing pesticides.