Why do I keep telling you to Leave the Leaves?

This tree has not lost all of its leaves yet for the winter, but when it does the leaf litter will be an important resource. (Clare Shanahan)

If you follow me on social media, you’ll notice that recently I have posted frequently about October being Leave the Leaves month; in reality, I only just found out about this movement myself, so let’s talk about it. What is Leave the Leaves, why is it important and who is behind the movement.

The National Wildlife Federation, US Department of Agriculture and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation are all vocal proponents of the movement, and they are only some of many organizations getting into the conversation. The National Wildlife Federation formally launched “Leave the Leaves month” in 2023, although it appears as though the term and encouragement of the act has existed for many years. Xerces has supported Leaving the Leaves since 2017, and last year the USDA got in on the conversation. In any case, what these organizations and many others agree on is that leaving fall leaves on the ground, rather than collecting them to be sent to the landfill, is an important practice to protect biodiversity and cut down on the environmental impact of landfills.

If you live in the Northeast or elsewhere where colorful fall leaves can be found, you will likely remember these leaves being your own ideal habitat during childhood autumns; what could be more fun than jumping into a pile of leaves, simply laying on top of them, or collecting the fallen leaves to create art. Turns out, many other animals call fallen leaves their habitats during the winter. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, animals use leaves in many ways; insects and earthworms eat leaf litter for nutrition, which is an important early step in the food chain, many butterfly and moth species lay eggs among fallen leaves to protect them from predators, and other creatures either overwinter in the leaves or use them sporadically to hide from predators.

Leaves also have benefits for homeowners. They are an organic material, after all, and exist for a purpose other than looking pretty on the trees; when left in place leaves will break down and add to the soil. Plus, leaves add warmth to the area below them and can even protect perennial plant bulbs from cold weather.

Quite frankly, when I was a kid I never understood why we raked up leaves or people shipped them away. I always thought, they’re going to fall again next week or next year so why worry about it. Turns out, I was right all along.