This past fall I couldn’t help but snap some photos of all of the beautiful leaves that had fallen. It’s a spectacularly vibrant time of the year that awakens the senses and turns everyday walks into colorful journeys. But sooner or later all of the vibrant leaves are raked up and deposited into (hopefully) earth-friendly bags. Leaving freshly mowed lawns behind, as if the experience never took place to begin with.
It’s funny. The fallen ginkgo leaves that you see in the lead image got me to thinking about what would happen if they were just left to decompose over the winter. Maybe the ginkgo leaf is a poor example due to the odor that they emit upon rotting, but for other types of leaves, what would happen? Of course our lawns would no longer look like the golf courses that many people aspire to emulate.
But what would happen after that? Some of the leaves would blow onto other yards and out onto the street. The leaves that would remain on the lawns would get covered with snow, and would still be around in the spring, partially composted by nature. The broken down leaves would get chewed up by lawn mowers in the spring, and would eventually by turned into a mulch that would then enter back into the soil, along with a variety of nutrients.
If too many leaves collected in the street, there drains might get clogged. So this practice might be better left for backyards, not front yards (something to consider, and The City would probably have something to say about this).
In the end, this type of thinking is better for the environment. Instead of dumping all of the leaves into a landfill, the leaves become habitats for small creatures, such as butterflies, salamanders, toads and chipmunks. I found it heartening upon recently learning that the National Wildlife Federation is asking people to “not” rake their leaves anymore (see here). If you read the comments at the end of the article, you will find all sorts of helpful answers to your questions regarding your lawn and the leaves. One particular comment was left by Alison Gillespie, which I believe pertains to the Buffalo climate:
“I have been leaving my leaves in place for several years. I move/rake some off of a small lawn that we leave open. And some are used to cover a small vegetable plot in the winter. But under the trees, the leaves stay in place. By late spring they are almost all decomposed! Over winter, they provide a rich habitat for many native creatures, including hibernating space for moths and other pollinators. Birds love that! They find lots to eat — not just the moths in their cocoons but also lots of smaller invertebrates. Meanwhile, I have put in a few ephemeral native plants such as VA Bluebells that return and move around each year. This all happens in an urban area, and it really makes our tiny yard feel like a park. In summer, we let the violets take over under the trees, which native and honey bees both love. It all works out great. I think that our bird population increased a great deal and we see many unusual birds now, even though we are in an urban area. If you want to read more you can check out a blog post I wrote about this (see here). It is my dream that this will become the new norm in the US suburbs (too). Leave them leaves be, people! They are doing good things for the trees, local water quality and the animals!”