To learn more about how to leave the leaves this fall and see some of these ideas in action, check out our segment on Quad Cities Live with our River Health and Resiliency Organizer, Nina Struss.
Did you know you don’t HAVE to rake your leaves?! Putting down the rake altogether or finding alternative ways to use leaves in your yard is beneficial not only for the environment but also our local ecosystems and wildlife. That’s why this fall we’re challenging YOU to re-think the leaves in your yard.
A recent survey by the National Wildlife Federation found that “most people (72 percent) know that fallen leaves and leaf layers are beneficial to wildlife and biodiversity, yet only 25 percent are leaving their leaves where they fall. Thankfully, 82 percent of people are open to leaving leaves to benefit wildlife in the future.”
If you find yourself falling within that 82% but are just not sure what to do with the leaves, we have your back! Literally – we’re trying to prevent future trips to the chiropractor by giving you five reasons to rethink yard work this fall:
- Leaves Provide Habitat for Wildlife – To many wildlife species, leaves are not litter but rather home. For example, 94 percent of moth species rely on leaf layers to complete their life cycle. The vast majority of our backyard birds rely on those butterfly and moth caterpillars as the primary food source for their young during nesting season. If you remove all of the fallen leaves, there will be fewer of these insects in and around the yard and likely fewer birds, too.
- Increase Fertility of Your Soil – The “off season” for gardening can actually be one of the most critical times for soil quality.
- Adding leaves to your garden beds or compost will add nutrients to your soil through decomposition. A leaf layer of about 3-5 inches deep will suffice, ensuring you spread the leaves evenly around the plants and not on top.
- Leaf mold, which involves allowing a pile of leaves to decompose over the winter in your yard, can improve soil structure and water retention when added to your garden beds in the spring.
- Reduce Waste & Pollution – Want to prevent further back pain? Skip bagging your leaves. Bagged leaves often end up in the landfill and break down without oxygen, producing methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. If you do need to move your leaves, opt for a rake instead of a blower or a lawn mower as they contribute to air and noise pollution.
- Save Time! – Do we need to say more?! By allowing leaves to live naturally in your yard, you’ll have time added back to your days to enjoy the fall weather as you please.
- Enjoy the Leaves – You don’t have to be a child to enjoy jumping in a pile of leaves. If you do have littles at home, consider some of these fun activities from the National Wildlife Federation’s Green Hour:
- Create a Nature Notebook – Make your time outdoors more meaningful by keeping a Nature Notebook. Check out this blog post with ideas on how to fill your notebook this fall.
- Go on a Leaf Patrol – Collect different shapes and sizes of leaves. As you collect the leaves, try and identify which trees they belong to. In your Nature Notebook, compare sizes, shapes, colors and even smells of the leaves collected.
- Add Leaf Rubbings to your Nature Notebook – Grab your crayons (or chalk or pencil) and create beautiful leaf shapes in your notebook. Check out this blog post for step-by-step instructions.
- Create Animal Leaf Crafts – After your leaf patrol hike, take the collected leaves and see what kinds of animals you can make. Glue to a piece of paper or add to your Nature Notebook. Check out this blog post for step by step instructions and fun examples.
Fall is the perfect time to think about becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat® with the National Wildlife Federation.
This month you can even get 10% off your certification using the FALL10 discount code! To learn more and certify visit Certified Wildlife Habitat.
