Don’t Rake All Your Leaves Before the Snow Flies

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – As the fall season comes to an end this week and many Lakes Area residents are scrambling to finish up their yard work before the snow flies, experts are encouraging residents to leave some leaves.

David Mizejewski with the National Wildlife Federation says it isn’t necessary to remove every leaf from the yard – although he notes just letting them all pile up can smother the grass.

Mizejewski says not bagging leaves helps add habitat for a number of animal species, including chipmunks, beneficial insects and spiders. “So you begin to see how it’s all connected. If you get rid of all of those leaves, you wipe out that habitat for all those animals and the food source for the birds in the spring.”

Mizejewski says 94-percent of moths spend some part of their life cycle in the leaf layer, many in the winter months as pupa. When they emerge, they lay eggs, and moth caterpillars become an important food source for many backyard birds.