Leave Your Leaves

By Julie Thomas, PhD

One fall, having recently moved into a new home (with a big yard and lots of trees), my husband and I contacted the Garden Club Advisor at a nearby middle school. We were looking for some kids who would help us rake leaves in our yard. On the appointed day, a hardy crew of kids arrived to help pile-up the leaves and load them into containers. After several hours of work, one kid asked the group, “Have you ever jumped into a pile of leaves?” When one kid answered no, we decided it was time for a break! For the next 20 minutes, we took turns building up and jumping into piles of leaves. Looking back, after that much fun, we probably didn’t even need to pay those kids but it seems there’s no guarantee that today’s younger generation will grow up with such joyful fall memories without our
gentle guidance.    

Importantly, there’s no need to remove all the leaves. Layers of leaves create a blanket of winter warmth for over-wintering butterfly or lightening bug eggs, caterpillars, or cocoons. Keeping some leaves piled as compost around your plants encourages populations of millipedes, roly-polys, and other leaf-eating insects to help break down the leaves naturally. Leave the Leaves is a national movement and you can purchase a yard sign (there are many options online) to help your neighbors know what you are doing.  

In sum, I encourage you to invite your kids, grandkids, and neighbor kids to help manage your leaves and prepare your yard and garden for winter. Together, you can look forward to a new crop of beneficial insects in the spring. Of course, your backyard birds will not be able to read the sign, but they will appreciate the earthworms, and millipedes in the leaf litter. 

Julie Thomas, PhD, is a retired Science Educator and a Research Professor Emerita from the University of Nebraska, and a contributing writer for 55+.