Why you need to leave the leaves in Birmingham

Want a good excuse to slack-off raking leaves and bagging them this fall?

In this week’s Jefferson County Greenways monthly newsletter, the group recommended for people who love lightning bugs, butterflies, bees, bats and birds…to leave your leaves on the ground.

Here’s why.

From the newsletter:

“Leaves are an incredibly important part of our ecosystem. When on the ground, they create what we call a “microclimate” or a “microhabitat” — they protect animals from the bitter winter air and snow, and they provide a hiding place. 

Many insects rely on this microhabitat to survive the winter. Lightning bugs, moths, butterflies and other pollinators lay their eggs on the bottom of these leaves.

When we rake, bag and shred leaves and send them to the landfill, we are sending all our pollinators — including caterpillars that birds rely on — to the landfill with them.”

In addition to the critters, leaves on the ground also benefit our trees and soils, according to Randy Haddock, retired biologist with the Cahaba River Coalition.

“There is an entire community of ‘reducer decomposers’ that rely on a supply of down leaves. They help transform leaves into soil, creating conditions that allow tree seeds to germinate and grow.”

Next steps: Use your leaves to create habitat zones

So, what do you do with all the leaves left on the ground? Jefferson County Greenway provided three tips for homeowners:

• Let some leaves stay where they fall — especially under trees and shrubs
  
• Create leaf piles in garden beds or corners of your yard as dedicated habitat zones
  
• Avoid leaf blowers and shredders — they harm insects and remove beneficial debris

Need more tips on how to leave your leaves? Visit the National Wildlife Federation’s National Leave the Leaves Month website (you can take a pledge) or visit Alabama Extension’s webpage on the topic.

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