Rich carpet of fallen leaves on forest floor is vital to ecosystem, species’ survival
By Kathy Schwartz
There’s nothing like walking a trail at Ouabache State Park in the fall. The green pathway has turned to a carpet of color.
Have you ever wondered why the leaves are allowed to lay where they fall?
The simple answer is we are letting nature be nature, but there is so much more hiding under those leaves.
Many invertebrates use fallen leaves as a place to live during the freezing temperatures of winter. Depending on the species of butterfly, you can find eggs, larva or caterpillars hiding in the folds of fallen leaves, and their cousins the moths do the same thing. The chrysalis may be attached to a leaf or simply fall with the leaves. The leaves close to the soil allow pill bugs to survive the winter temperatures. Flowers that have long lost their color provide a hiding place for the insects that keep other insects from damaging your plants in the spring.
Have you ever noticed birds and animals turning leaves in search of bugs and seeds to eat? Fallen leaves provide a banquet for our forest friends. This process also ensures the blanket of leaves are not able to create a solid layer, and spring plants can find their way up through the heaviness of the winter carpet.
There is a school of thought that encourages us not to rake the leaves off our lawn. For some of us, that is almost too radical to imagine. Also, your neighbors or homeowners association may not appreciate your leaves blowing everywhere, so here is an alternative.
Designate an area in your yard where fallen leaves will remain, and additional leaves will be added in small piles. Branches that are trimmed and flower heads that are cut from bushes are sprinkled about.
You will be surprised next year at the increase of insects and butterflies, which in turn will bring an increase of birds and other predators to your yard. A light coating of leaves left on your lawn will increase the quality of the soil, which in turn gives you a greener lawn.
Burning the leaves destroys not only the leaves and their nutrient benefits but any chrysalis, cocoons and actual living things that can be found among the leaves. An alternative is fluffing the leaves so that a solid layer is not formed and leave the leaves until spring before you move them. Nature has a way of doing this with the brisk winds of fall.
No matter how you feel about leaves and what you should do with them, leaves are a vital part of your yard’s ecosystem. There are creatures that rely on those leaves to survive, not to mention your back muscles may feel better is you LEAVE the LEAVES.
HERE’S THE PROOF
Jody Heaston, volunteer and Indiana Master Naturalist coordinator for the Indiana DNR, submitted these photos as proof that there is more to a piles of leaves than just leaves.
Last fall, she surveyed a pile of fallen leaves at Ouabache State Park, and she almost missed this treasure. She had to look closely as it blended into its surroundings. She was aware that polyphemus moths winter in the form of a cocoon and hoped that this particular cocoon would produce a polyphemus moth in the spring. She retrieved the cocoon and stored it in a dry cool place until spring. As spring brought warmer temperatures and sprouted a food source for the moth, she watched as the treasure emerged. It was a polyphemus moth!
“There’s nothing like releasing a moth on a bright sunny day,” Heaston said. “There are many species of butterflies and moths that use the insulation that fallen leaves provide, to survive the freezing temperatures of winter. Swallowtail’s chrysalis can often be found of stems of flowers. I was so lucky to spot this one on a high-traffic trail. It may have been crushed.”
Remember to look closely as you travel the trails this fall. You may be missing a treasure right before your eyes.
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