PS9 Sarah Smith Garnet

🌎 Leaves are a crucial component of a healthy ecosystem, supporting biodiversity and climate resilience.

Why?

🍁 Leaves are nature’s mulch and fertilizer. They keep moisture in the soil, protect root systems through winter and decompose into nutrients for the soil and plant life.

🌧 Leaves absorb water, preventing runoff and flooding.

🦋 Leaves provide crucial habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife, including fireflies, bees, butterflies, birds, box turtles and frogs.

Did You Know?

🐛 Over 94% of butterflies and moths spend winter amongst the leaves as eggs, pupae, or adults, vital for their life cycle.

🪺 Around 95% of North American terrestrial birds rely on insects, especially caterpillars, to raise their young.

What Is At Risk?

🍂 When we remove all the fallen leaves, we destroy the habitat of many beneficial insects and kill the next generation of butterflies and moths, which means less food for birds, fewer pollinators and declining wildlife populations. 

But - You Can Help!

✅ Leave leaves where they fall on soil.

🧹 Gently move sidewalk leaves to tree beds or garden beds. 3-5” of leaves is the sweet spot.

💦 Water the leaves in the tree beds to stop them from flying in the wind.

💚 If there are extra leaves, pile them in a garden corner or give them to your local community garden to use as compost or mulch.