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Table of Contents
Leave the Leaves?
Tree Leaves Have Many Benefits
We’ve all removed leaves in the fall, but leaving some in place has important benefits. Birds, pollinators, and other creatures rely on fallen leaves for food and shelter over the winter. Keeping leaves also helps yards retain moisture, reduces carbon emissions, and provides free fertilizer in your garden, lawn, and compost bin. Carpets of leaves under trees in autumn have their own beauty.
Here are some DOs and DON’Ts to leaving your leaves:
DO: use leaves as mulch
Leaves that fall naturally around flowers, trees and shrubs can be left as a mulch, and you can add more leaves to form a layer of at least 2 inches. Whole leaves will decay naturally over time as they do in forests, and they enrich the soil to feed nearby trees and other plant life. The leaf mulch also reduces weed growth, retains moisture, insulates plants, and protects beneficial pollinators such as bumblebee queens, butterflies, moths, and firefly larvae. If you mulch heavily over plants in the fall, you can uncover them in late spring, after pollinators emerge. Who knows, you might be inspired to have more gardens now that you have free mulch!
DO: leave some leaves on your lawn
Some leaves left on a lawn will break down and fertilize the soil. If leaves cover about 20% of the grass, leave them where they fell. If only 50% of your grass is showing, you can mow over these areas if you want to help the leaves break down. Be aware that mowing instead of raking can destroy insect eggs, caterpillars, and cocoons in and on the leaves.
DO: remove leaves from the street
Removing leaves from the street, sidewalks, and driveways is important for clean lakes. When it rains, wet leaves in the street form a nutrient-rich “leaf tea” that flows into stormwater sewers that connect to our lakes and other waters, feeding harmful algae growth. Before rainfall, remove leaves from the street in front of your property and keep nearby storm drains clear. If you don’t want to use street leaves as mulch, pile them on the grass near the curb for city pickup. Sign up with Dane County’s Ripple Effects to receive text or email alerts before autumn rain events.
DO: compost your leaves
If you have a lot of extra leaves, add them to a compost pile along with other plant matter and kitchen scraps and use the finished compost to improve garden soil. Or you can keep it simple by leaving a pile of leaves over the winter. By spring this will be ready to use as mulch around your other plants!
DO: consider the best way to move leaves
Did you know that using a 2-cycle gas-powered leaf blower for one hour can release as much pollution as driving a car over 1000 miles? Electric leaf blowers are quieter, don’t directly produce pollutants, and generally have lower operating costs compared to gas-powered equipment. Another option is a garden rake, low cost and quiet.
DON’T: spread invasive jumping worms
Asian jumping worms are now found throughout many parts of the city in soil and leaves. The worms destroy soil structure and remove nutrients. Help reduce the spread by keeping your leaves on your property. Don’t accept leaves from other locations.
DON’T: worry about tar spot fungus
Tar spot fungus on maple leaves may seem unsightly, but keeping the leaves won’t cause health issues. More free mulch!
DO: continue to check yourself for ticks
Monoculture grass lawns and planting of invasive species such as Japanese Barberry have disrupted the native ecosystem that once kept ticks in check. So unfortunately, gardening is now associated with an increased risk for tick bites, and leaves provide extra cover for ticks. You may want to take precautions such as wearing long pants and socks and/or insect repellent when gardening, and checking yourself for ticks after spending time outside. Planting native plants can help restore biodiversity and support tick predators such as birds.
DO: pile extra leaves on the terrace for city collection
If you have more leaves than you can use in your yard, place them in the area between the sidewalk and the curb. Try to keep a foot of grass between the pile and the curb. The city will collect the leaves and take them to a composting facility.
Summing Up
Keeping leaves within each yard instead of having city trucks haul away piles of leaves can reduce air and noise pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and save you time and energy while benefiting your yard in multiple ways. Work smarter, not harder, and you will be rewarded with more fireflies, butterflies, and birds after a year or two.
Additional information
Save the Seeds and Stems. Leaves aren’t the only thing you should leave in the fall. Make your fall cleanup even easier by leaving flowers stalks standing after die-off. Birds will forage from the seed heads over the winter. In mid to late spring, cut stems but leave 8 to 24 inches intact so that bees can hibernate and nest in the stems next winter. Visit this article to learn why we should wait until spring for yard tasks and this page to learn more about stem-nesting bees.
Mulch to the Drip Line of Young Trees. In woods and forests, fallen leaves return nutrients to the tree roots. Mimic nature and move extra leaves under your young trees. The drip line is the invisible ring around your tree where rain would drip off the outermost branches. Since tree roots can extend beyond the drip line, you can mulch past the drip line to encourage outward root growth. More information can be found in this article.
Create “Soft Landings” Under Your Trees. You can add garden areas to your yard by planting natives in the mulched areas under your trees. Species such as oaks, pines, willows, poplars, maples, native plum, and cherry trees are host plants for hundreds of species of butterfly and moth caterpillars. Replacing lawn with native plants creates a “soft landing” for these caterpillars to drop to the ground and pupate, sheltering them better than grass could and keeping them safe from lawn mowers. In addition to creating more habitat for pollinators, this will also feed the birds, and means less mowing! Visit this article to see example photos of soft landings, peruse the list of shade-loving native plants, and learn more tips and tricks for gardening under trees.
How Important is this to Insects and Birds? The vast majority of beneficial insects depend on leaf insulation during winter. Fireflies spend most of their lives as glow worms (larvae), often in fallen leaves. Many butterflies don’t migrate but spend the winter in fallen leaves, such as the mourning cloak butterfly. While most overwinter as caterpillars, some have cocoons and chrysalises that look like dried leaves. Many of these populations are drastically declining due to habitat loss and pesticides. These losses have a ripple effect on the food supply for humans, birds, and other animals. Chickadees, sparrows, and other birds pick through fallen leaves to find bugs, larvae, and other food. For example, a mother chickadee needs thousands of caterpillars to feed her nest of babies. More information can be found in this article.
Leave the Leaves Yard Signs
Please help spread the word to your neighbors about the importance of leaving the leaves. These yard signs, designed by local artist Sarah Krajewski, are meant to be put out each fall to educate people about keeping leaves on their property instead of bagging or piling them for municipal pick-up. Signs will be $15 each, and we plan to distribute them at events like the September 12 Plant Sale Pick-up, the September 21 Native Garden Hub, the October 16 Harvest potluck, and the November 20 Native Seed Swap.
Interested in a yard sign? Fill out the Google Form below to stay in the loop about how to get your sign!
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