Rich Harrison is a local landscape architect with Metro Blooms: Metro Blooms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that "partners with communities to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds, embracing the values of equity and inclusion to solve environmental challenges." Rich lives in East Isles.
Fall is upon us. As our days get shorter and the temps drop, the leaves of deciduous trees are senescing, breaking apart chlorophyll which has large amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients. These nutrients are then transferred into the roots and trunk for winter storage. As chlorophyll is degraded, the green disappears, revealing the brilliant autumnal hues that we all love.
This familiar and predictable cycle happens every year, and with it comes deep-seated traditions of pulling out the rakes and tidying up our yards like our parents and grandparents taught us. Little did we know that this practice is not what nature intended and is not healthy to our environment.
The structure and insulating properties of leaves provide habitat for many beneficial insects such as butterflies, moths, bumblebees and fireflies. Additionally, in the springtime, birds raise their young on insects and worms that live within and under the leaves. Healthier soils allow plants to thrive and also hold more water. This all leads to more resilent landscapes for us all to enjoy.
For healthier urban ecosystems it's time leave the leaves.
This is a great opportunity to reimagine your yard with more natural areas that allow leaves to do their thing — all while creating more leisure time for you. Think about expanding those pollinator gardens and shrub beds or create new ones. If you must, simply rake leaves to areas where you would like less lawn.
Start by naturalizing the areas under your existing trees, along property lines and around structures. Rake paths and clearings where you still want lawn for play space. Leaves can also go in your vegetable gardens, compost or brush piles. A good goal is to keep lawn to less than half your yard.
The only place that leaves don’t belong is on our streets and sidewalks where they can impair our precious water resources. To do more here, adopt a drain at mn.adopt-a-drain.org.
Adding native plants that have co-evolved with our winged and multi-legged friends is best, attracting more life to our yards to bring us joy. There are more resources out there now than ever before. Check out www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com for great species lists to add biodiversity around your trees. For other great plant lists and templates, check out bluethumb.org.
