Avoid trimming stems and mowing leaves this season and you’ll be a hero to butterflies, moths and bees.
Horrorstruck by a messy yard? Feeling a bit wicked for leaving garden tasks undone? Many of us were raised to tidy up our gardens in fall, but avoiding trimming stems and leaving fallen leaves in place actually makes you a secret hero.
You’re saving lives out there — butterflies, moths and bees!
Treat your landscape with care this season to protect our wild friends.
- Fallen leaves are winter insulation for plants and the many critters that live in them, not to mention leaves enrich the soil as they decompose. Rake leaves into beds and (as I’ve learned) avoid mowing them to help protect eggs, caterpillars, chrysalides and cocoons.
- Stop cutting back plant stems to avoid grimly reaping the overwintering eggs of beneficial insects. Prune them in spring to create nest sites for native bees.
- Seedheads should stay on plants to provide food for birds and other animals during the winter months.
- Tuck fallen branches behind a bush to create winter habitat for insects without creating an eyesore.
- It’s not the time for unearthly practices — don’t disturb the soil! Help protect native bee nests in the soil by limiting disturbances such as moving perennials.
And if you’d like to crow about your good deeds in the garden, tag your post #LeaveTheLeaves and we’ll be thrilled for you, too!
