SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio – With fall colors predicted to peak this week throughout much of Ohio, some residents are taking in the hues while others are worrying about keeping up with raking and removing the leaves once they drop.
But this year, Summit Metro Parks Interpretive Naturalist Joe Malmisur is asking residents to consider a different approach: leave the leaves alone.
While it might seem counterintuitive, letting fallen leaves be is what’s best for the environment. Native wildlife such as wasps, spiders and several species of insect eggs, including bees, live in the stems of dead plants, according to Malmisur. Several types of butterflies attach their chrysalises to the stems of plants and many moth species hide their cocoons in leaf litter, he said. Removing leaves is quite literally taking away the habitat of these beneficial insects.
“There are actually more species of moths than butterflies in Ohio,” Malmisur said. “There are about 3,000 species of moths and 142 species of butterflies in the state. The reason it’s important to leave leaf debris alone is because that’s where caterpillars overwinter. If you’ve ever seen a round, fuzzy thing on the underside of a leaf it’s probably a moth cocoon.”
People often don’t understand the importance of moths and caterpillars, according to Malmisur.
“People see moths and caterpillars eating leaves. But around here we say a chewed leaf is a good leaf. That’s because moths and butterflies are the number one food source for migratory birds,” he said.
Fallen leaves also provide shelter for bumble bee queens, amphibians and reptiles during winter months, according to the park district.
For residents who are worried about layers of fallen wet leaves killing their grass, well, it’s a valid concern, according to Malmisur. If that’s the concern, he suggests raking leaves and leaving them in an underused portion of the yard. Or waiting until Mother’s Day in May to clean up the yard. He also noted that some types of leaves, such as maple, decompose quickly, while other varieties, such as oak, stick around a lot longer.
“There’s a lot of tannins in oak leaves and they do not decompose within a couple of months,” he said. “They may be around for a year or so.”
The park district’s suggestion to let the fallen leaves be is part of its Wild Back Yards initiative. The initiative encourages residents to make changes to outdoor spaces at their homes, workplaces or places of worship to benefit local wildlife and counteract the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, according to the park district.
Through the initiative, residents can learn about the benefits of native planting, managing invasive plants, habitat improvements such as reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and reducing the ecological footprint of traditional lawn practices.
Ensuring your yard has native trees or native plants is especially beneficial to insects and wildlife, according to Malmisur.
“An oak tree can support up to 500 species of insects, whereas an invasive tree such as the Bradford pear supports almost none,” he said.
Residents can learn more about the Wild Back Yards initiative on the park district website. Residents who sign up for the program and complete various steps are eligible for rewards.
Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com’s Rubber City Update, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Wednesdays.