Leave the leaves!
Leave the leaves for at least three reasons in the fall:
First, decomposing leaves enrich the soil, adding nutrients and organic material. Secondly, insects of all kinds overwinter in and on leaves – so the more the better. Finally, leaving the leaves on our properties means less pickup and disposal by our cities, reducing costs and carbon emissions from trucks. It’s a win all around.
Doug Tallamy says “the best place to leave the leaves is under the trees that grew them.” That’s especially helpful for insects that spend the summer in the canopy of trees, then drop to the ground to overwinter as eggs in leaves or in the ground.
But there’s not one solution that fits all yards! Too many intact leaves left in garden beds can smother spring growth of some plants. Spring ephemerals like Bloodroot (pictured here) and Mayapple can pierce thick mats of leaves in the spring, but later emerging species that typically grow in the open struggle to get through. So for sun lovers like milkweeds and monardas, use leaves as mulch around, not on, them. Remember that birds and small mammals toss and turn leaves looking for insects and seeds – you can gently turn and tumble leaves in your garden beds to emulate this and prevent thick mats.
This fall, study your garden beds. Leave as many whole leaves in the beds as you can. If you have too many leaves, shred some of them up with a mower or shredder and mix them with whole leaves onto your beds. Use thick mats of whole leaves to kill parts of a grassy lawn- to replace it with native plants next year. More ideas from the Xerces Society are here: https://xerces.org/blog/leave-the-leaves