Here in California, we have been experiencing rain so abundant that the ground is saturated, causing flooding.
In the image below, rain is shunted off of homes and hardscape toward the street, which then channels the rainwater into a storm drain that sends it to the ocean.
Thankfully, some of the rain falls on natural landscapes that soak up the water instead of sending it to the ocean.
Have you noticed how much better the landscape soaks up rain when you have leaf litter protecting the soil?
The Xerces Society’s Leave the Leaves campaign is gaining attention among homeowners because of the overarching benefits that fallen leaves have on soil, plant life, pollinators, and animals.
When we resist the urge to rake and tidy our landscape of excess leaves, we help caterpillars that live there, and birds looking for protein-rich insects nestled under the leaves.
Below are two beautiful examples that illustrate why leaves are important to life.
Leaving the leaves on the ground not only protects butterflies, but also enriches the soil itself. As the leaves break down, they provide natural fertilizer to the plants.
Leaving the leaves is a great way to celebrate the turn of the seasons, while also helping soil, plant, and animal life. Happy New Year and thanks for resisting the urge to rake!
A Sage and A Buckwheat in Every Garden 
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