With fall in the air, many start to dream of cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, and gorgeous fall leaves. For many homeowners, all those leaves may be seen as a nuisance and a big chore.
Historically, the thing to do with fallen leaves in cities and suburbs has been to get rid of them and “clean up” our yards. Rakes, leaf blowers, mowers, all get the job done. But what if we were to flip this script.
What if we were to look at the act of leaves falling and landing under their trees as not a nuisance and a chore, but as an essential act of nature. What if we were to just leave the leaves where they fall?
Ecologists, entomologists, and biologists all know that leaves fall to the earth for a reason. They act as natural mulch providing nutrients for the soil as well as offering shelter and protection for numerous creatures. Did you know that most butterflies don’t migrate like the Monarch? Most butterflies overwinter in leaf litter as either an egg, caterpillar, cocoon or chrysalis, or adult.
When you rake up or mow your leaves, you may just be destroying a luna moth or a swallowtail butterfly chrysalis! There are many other critters, not just butterflies, that rely on leaf litter to help them make it through the winter. If we clean up all the leaves, we remove this essential component necessary for the survival of certain species.
Additionally, we know some species over winter in our garden beds, on or in specific flower stalks. By doing a thorough “clean up” of our yards, we are potentially harming hundreds of insects, drastically reducing their numbers. Insects are the most essential food source for baby songbirds after they hatch in the spring.
You see where this is going. It’s all connected. We are not separate from nature. We are part of it and the choices we make, big or small, have an impact.
Sustainable Stoughton is joining forces with other organizations such as the Xerces Society and Wild Ones to help raise awareness and educate on the importance of leaving the leaves and letting go of the story we have told ourselves that our yards and gardens must be “tidied up” each fall.
To learn more about leaving leaves and what we can do (or not do) in our yards and gardens to create a healthy environment for all, Sustainable Stoughton will be hosting a free community program on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10:30 a.m. called Fall Clean Up: The Myth of Putting Your Garden to Bed.
Presenters are Kristin Slava and Amy Yocum, owners of Sedges and Celery, a local business dedicated to helping you turn your lawn into beautiful garden spaces that support the health of people and the planet. This program will be held at the Stoughton Fire Station training room. You can RSVP at our website linked below.
Leaving leaves is just one way we can support our environment, we also can create yards and gardens with native plant habitat. Sustainable Stoughton has collaborated with Stoughton Public Library to offer native seeds in a free community seed library.
We offered both vegetable and native seeds this past spring, and this fall we will offer select native flower and grass seeds that germinate with greater success when seeded before winter. You can find the seed library at Stoughton Public Library. We have a limited amount of seeds that will be available while supplies last.
For those of you interested in learning how to harvest and save your own seeds from your vegetable or flower garden, mark your calendar for Sunday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. Master Gardener, Katie Hartman-Grohn taught us how to start seeds this past March and now she’s back to teach us all about saving seeds from what we’ve grown.
Sustainable Stoughton is grateful for our partnership with Stoughton Public Library where we will hold this program. Pre-registration for this is required as space is limited. Register at stoughtonpubliclibrary.org/seedsaving or by calling the library at 608-873-6281.
To save your seat, read more specifics about each of these offerings, and find out details about our Fall Book Club as well as our upcoming Pizza and Movie Night in October, please visit sustainablestoughton.org, join us on Facebook and be sure to sign up for our seasonal newsletter on our website homepage. You can contact Sustainable Stoughton with any questions at info@sustainablestoughton.org.
Stephanie Shong has been an active board member of Sustainable Stoughton since 2022.
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