SAMANTHA PORZELT, WATER RESOURCES AGENT FOR BERKELEY, CHARLESTON, AND DORCHESTER COUNTIES
Fall is finally here, and the yearly question comes: Should you rake the leaves or let them be? While bagging them up has long been the tradition, conservation groups like the National Wildlife Federation encourage a different approach: leave the leaves where they fall.
health, wildlife, and local water quality. Image from Sunnyside Nursery.
There are several environmental benefits to leaving the leaves:
- Enrich the soil: Leaves enrich your garden as they break down; they act like a natural mulch, holding in moisture, suppressing weeds, and returning valuable nutrients to the soil.
- Providing habitat: A layer of leaf litter provides winter shelter for wildlife, including butterflies and moths that tuck their eggs and cocoons among the leaves, native bees and fireflies nest beneath them, and toads and salamanders use the cover to survive cold months. Birds depend on the insects hidden in the leaves as a critical food source during the leaner months of the year.
- Stormwater benefits: Managing leaves wisely also benefits our waterways. When leaves are blown or raked into the street, they often wash into storm drains during rainfall. Once in the stormwater system, leaves break down quickly and release nutrients that can fuel algae blooms in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Excess algae depletes oxygen and harms fish and other aquatic life. By keeping leaves in your yard, you not only improve soil health but also protect local streams and wetlands from pollution.
This doesn’t mean letting leaves completely cover your lawn. Instead, rake them into garden beds, under shrubs, or around trees, or pile them in a quiet corner of your yard to slowly decompose into rich organic matter. If you prefer a tidier look, move them to less visible areas of your property. Other great ways to reuse fallen leaves include adding them to yard waste bags for local composting, incorporating them into your home compost pile, or even using them for seasonal crafts.
Skipping the raking will help create healthier soil, reduce waste, protect waterways, and provide vital habitat for wildlife. This fall, consider leaving the leaves, and you’ll be helping your garden, your community, and the creatures that call it home.
