Homes for the Holidays

In many locations across the world, autumn with all of its glorious changes is showing off in the brilliant warm colors of fall. The last remaining spring and summer flowers are fading quickly, giving way to falling leaves, dried stalks, and wilting grasses. The urge to tidy up is overwhelming for many people as they relish being out in the cooler, sunny days and anticipate the wintry blasts quickly approaching. But as you survey your landscape while deciding what to tackle, perhaps you'll reconsider tidying up in favor of leaving most things where they lie. You see, your yard in fall becomes a quiet little boarding house where every tiny creature checks in and claims their grass or leaf or log, snuggling in for winter dreams of spring things. When you rake leaves or straw or gather up grasses and twigs, you are creating a homeless population that would produce next year's beneficial critters and will succumb to exposure in the frosty winter temps. Those leaves and grasses that you see as "yard debris" are actually the life support system for next spring's entire ecosystem.

Why not do something different this year? Leave as much as you can of summer's leftovers. It will provide much needed shelter for our small friends and will slowly decay, providing vital nutrients for next spring's flora above and below ground. Clean a little, leave a lot, and be a positive force for good in this great Circle of Life. Leave them a home for the holidays!

How does this help, you ask?  Here’s a few of the ways.

🍂 1. Pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths)

Fall leaves and standing grasses are their winter homes.

Butterflies & moths

Many species overwinter as:

• Chrysalises attached to tall grasses

• Cocoons tucked inside leaf piles

• Eggs hidden on dried stems

• Adults (like mourning cloaks) sleeping under leaf layers

When we bag leaves or chop everything down, we’re literally throwing away next year’s butterflies.

Solitary bees

These aren’t hive bees. They nest in:

• Hollow stems

• Pithy plant stalks

• Grassy clumps

• Shallow leaf litter at the soil line

Leaving stems 12–18 inches tall and leaving leaves on the ground is how you give these pollinators a fighting chance.

🦋 2. Beneficial insects (ladybugs, lacewings, ground beetles, etc.)

These are the tiny gardeners who handle pests for you.

Ladybugs

They overwinter in dry leaf piles and grassy bunches.You want them? Leave the leaves.

Lacewings

Their fragile cocoons cling to dried stems; mowing and cutting destroys them.

Ground beetles

They tuck themselves under leaf mulch to survive freezing nights. These beetles eat slugs, grubs, and other pests in spring.

Native wasps

Gentle little predators, not picnic crashers. Many overwinter in hollow stems and grassy mats.

🐸 3. Amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders)

These creatures require moist, insulated places to overwinter.

Leaves = insulation + moisture

A thick leaf layer:

• Prevents soil from freezing too hard

• Holds humidity

• Creates tunnels and pockets for amphibians to stay alive through winter

Toads especially burrow under leaves near garden beds, so they can wake up and immediately start eating thousands of insects for you.

🐦 4. Birds (songbirds, woodpeckers, wrens, sparrows)

Fall leaves and grasses feed birds in winter and feed their babies in spring.

Seed heads on grasses

Standing grasses feed birds all winter long. This natural food is richer than most store-bought mixes.

Leaf litter = insect pantry

Birds spend spring searching for:

• Caterpillars

• Beetle larvae

• Moths

• Ants

• Spiders

• Flies

Where do almost all of those overwinter? In leaf litter.

Birds can only raise healthy chicks if they find thousands of insects. A clean, raked lawn is a silent desert to them.

🌱 Why this matters for your garden

The life sleeping under those leaves and grasses becomes:

• Spring pollinators for your chamomile, mallow, bee balm, yarrow

• Natural pest control

• Soil builders

• Bird food

• Pollinator-lifecycle nurseries

• Moisture retainers

• Fertilizer (as leaves slowly break down)

• splendor

Your fall debris becomes spring abundance.

✅ The simple rule: Leave it whenever you can

You don’t have to let your yard turn into a wild jungle. Just keep:

• Leaves in beds and under shrubs

• Grasses and perennials standing until spring

• A few brushy corners or leaf piles

• Hollow stems cut high (12–18 inches)

This alone can multiply your pollinators and beneficials several times over.

Maris says "Thank you."