Preserve Nature's Blanket

Preserve Nature's Blanket

It seems like fall arrived overnight here in Evansville. It was 80 degrees and sunny just last week, but yesterday’s sub-freezing morning temperatures gave us a harsh reminder that winter is just around the corner. For many people, the changing seasons also mean that we need to switch up our daily routines, especially as we prepare for colder weather. We pack away beachy sandals and shorts and pull out quarter zips and cozy sweaters. We seal cracks in our window frames and insulate under our doors. We bring in patio furniture and clean out our gutters.  

For those with a lawn or garden, cleaning up fallen leaves can sometimes seem like a sisyphean task. As soon as you finish raking all of the leaves into a neat pile, the wind blows and dozens more fall to the ground. For kids, this is magical because it means even bigger leaf piles to play in, but for adults, the chore can feel draining and daunting. So let me give you permission this year to skip this dreaded fall chore. Stop raking your leaves. Just stop. For yourself, for your lawn, and for the planet. 

Fallen leaves act as nature’s blanket, protecting your garden and its inhabitants from harsh winter weather. Beneath the carpet of leaves, a community of salamanders, frogs, worms, and pollinators can thrive even when temperatures drop. Fallen leaves act as a natural mulch, retaining heat and moisture close to the ground. Worms begin the decomposition process, eating fallen leaves and adding nitrogen back to your garden’s soil. Pollinators nest, lay eggs, and raise young in the stems of flowering plants and beneath fallen leaves. In the spring, these pollinators will add life and color to your garden. Salamanders and frogs eat mosquito and beetle larvae, keeping pests out of your garden in the spring and summer months. They also provide food for non-migratory birds throughout the winter season. As they make their home beneath your fallen leaves, this collection of critters forms the base of your backyard ecosystem.  

A spotted salamander. A common salamander in Indiana that spends the majority of its life near ponds and rivers, hiding under fallen leaves.

If you are feeling the neighborly pressure to ‘tidy’ your lawn, consider raking only part of your yard and leaving the rest to nature. For the spots you do choose to rake, resist bagging leaves. Instead of adding nutrients to your lawn, bagged leaves rot in landfills, releasing methane and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Consider spreading leaves from your front lawn across your back lawn and throughout garden beds. These leaves will still provide shelter for critters and benefit your yard in the spring, while allowing you to have a picture perfect front lawn all throughout fall. So this year, give yourself a break from raking. Your lawn (and back) will thank you.