The Argument for Less Spring Yard Cleaning
Homes across the Northern Hemisphere right now are feeling the call of Spring cleaning. It is an inevitable part of sensing the days growing, and wanting to get out into the years’ first warm rays of sun. Before you go removing all the winter debris from your garden, it’s important that you think about the impact this will have on your garden’s flora and fauna. There are several beneficial insects that overwinter in our leaf and woody debris piles. If you move their habitat now, you will lose out on the benefits they can give your garden this year. A good rule it to wait until May to do any major clean up, that way all the critters will have exited their winter nests and made their way into the bustling world of your garden. If you can, don’t shred leaves, but let them compost where they fall. This will give the greatest benefit to your local insect population.
What kinds of beneficial insects make their habitat in our Winter yard debris?
Bees: Queen bumble bees burrow a 1-2 inches into the ground to hibernate for Winter. A few inches of leaf litter will insulate her from the cold, as well as provide protection from predators. Other species of bees such as leafcutter, carpenter and smaller native varieties use hollow stems of flowers as well as leaf piles to make their winter homes. All varieties are important for pollination of our food, flowers and maintaining a healthy local eco-system.
Butterflies and moths: only a select few actually migrate to warmer climates. Many native species overwinter as eggs, caterpillars and chrysalids or cocoons. Butterflies and moths rely on layers of leaves to keep them warm until Spring. Some also rely on these leaves as their first sources of food after they emerge. They very cleverly blend in with their environment at all stages of growth to ensure they aren’t found by predators. Since they can’t hang a sign out saying “Do Not Disturb”, please leave their bug hotels alone until they are ready to check out.
Ladybug laying eggs
Ladybugs: they lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves to protect them from predators. Ladybug larvae are where the aphid-eating action happens. They eat a lot at this stage (for about 30 days) and are highly beneficial to a Spring garden. When the larvae is ready pupate, they again attach themselves to the undersides of leaves for 1-2 weeks. Only after this they will assume their beetle form. If you want the best chance of early pest control in the garden, leaf the ladybugs to it.
The other benefits to our gardens:
If you take a walk in the forest, you will see lush growth emerging from under fallen leaves. You will also see wildlife at every turn. Forest Rangers don’t haul in yards of compost to the forest every year to keep it looking green. Left to its own devices, clearly mother nature knows what works for her. So take a page out of her book. By letting fall leaves stay, you are building in so much goodness for your garden. What are these benefits you ask?
Free Mulch: the leaves add nutrition to your soil and contribute to overall soil health. This improves water retention as well as provides natural weed suppression. Less watering and less weeding, what’s not to love about that?
Habitat for other insects: spiders, snails, slugs, beetles, centipedes, pill bugs, worms, the list can go on and on. They are all important to the lifecycle of our gardens and local eco system. Not only by virtue of how they interact with our garden, but by providing a source of food for: frogs, birds, squirrels, turtles etc.
Nesting material and perches for local birds. Birds need to be attracted by a healthy diet of insects to feast upon. They also need places to nest and feed their families. If you have the best bugs and branches in town, you can bet you will draw a variety of birds. We bought a bird ID book a few years ago to keep track of our avifauna visitors. In just 2 seasons we clocked over 20 species of birds that made regular visits to our garden.
The habit to want our yards and garden to be “tidy” is out of step with nature. You don’t have to put up with a huge carpet of leaves if you truly can’t stand it. You can easily start by leaving a few discrete piles of leafs and logs throughout your property to maintain your insect population. It’s a simple, and FREE, way to contribute to the health and well-being of your garden and local ecosystem. Few things in life have such an easy solution. So say yes to doing less yard-work this Spring.
