Rethinking leaf litter

     When I was a kid, I vividly recall one large oak tree in my neighbor's yard. Here's why this tree was so memorable: 1. It was tremendous. 2. Every fall its leaves changed from green to burnished bronze, making the whole thing look like it was on fire. 3. The leaves fell off--every single one of them--in a single day. Imagine the leaf piles just begging for a kid like me to jump in?
     I have such powerful memories of that one tree--of standing at the bus stop watching the first leaves begin to drop, 20 or 30 at a time--to coming home after school to watch the incredible shedding continue, and sitting outside until dark, seeing if I could identify the final few to fall.
     Of course every kid wants leaves to remain on the ground as playthings, but there are so many reasons to view fallen leaves as beneficial to our yards rather than as eyesores.
     We've got to change our mindset on this one. Instead of thinking of them as leaf litter, view them as a vital link to healthy outdoor spaces. Recall your grade-school science classes and the lessons learned there. That's when we first discovered that decomposing leaves release goodies like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus--critical for supporting life forms such as fungus (mushrooms), beneficial bacteria, insects and invertebrates.
     Many invertebrates, in fact, lay eggs on leaf litter. Removing leaves also takes away some of next year's butterflies and moths! Additionally, leaves provide vital foraging space for small mammals, insects and birds. Some bird species declines have been linked with decrease of invertebrates on the forest floor.
     Here's a way to compromise: Rather than bagging all our fallen comrades, let some lie around trees, shrubs and perennials. They make an excellent mulch, helping retain moisture around plants, improving soil composition, and protecting them from harsh winter winds and killing temperature dips. If your plants could talk, they'd thank you. And the wider world would give you props, as well, for increasing the biodiversity of your outdoor spaces.
    As for me, I'm going to gently rake a portion of my leaves into the compost piles I have set up along the perimeter of my property--and I just might make a trip back to my hometown to see if that giant oak tree is still standing.