Kathleen Groll Connolly, Landscape & Garden Designer, Speaker, Writer
Benjamin Franklin once wrote that nothing is inevitable but death and taxes. As a lifelong Northeasterner, I’d add fallen leaves to his list. Unfortunately, many people look forward to fallen leaves about as much as they do death and taxes.
Is there another way to look at leaves? Let's count the ways.
Fireflies, a.k.a. lightning bugs, were a big event at Fourth of July picnics during my western Pennsylvania childhood. Our pack of cousins and siblings ran and yelped through the swarms after dark. Fireflies don’t bite, sting, or make noise, so no one stopped us from chasing the tiny lights while adults picked up the day’s picnic and packed the family automobiles.
Fireflies were so numerous that they could brighten the night. Little did we know that the lights, a product of the insect’s “bioluminescence,” were key to their courting ritual. The aerial dance insured fireflies would flash again next year.
Have you turned a new leaf when it comes to land care? Many people have. For instance, we plant for pollinators, choose native plants, reduce lawn sizes, and use electric equipment instead of gas-powered. Most of those changes take place within the confines of our properties without attracting negative attention.
The same is not always true for autumn leaves.
The stray leaf, blowing in the wind on a dry fall day, has pushed more than a few neighbors into standoffs behind their rakes and leaf-blowers. That's true even now, when it’s no secret that we live in a time where lawns, gardens, parks, and street-scapes are meaningful to the survival of regional species.
An elderly farmer once told me, "In 90 years of living, I've learned one thing. Change is the only constant." The fall of 2017 would make him smile. Everywhere I look, people are exploring new ideas in land care--and some of them are as old as the hills. If even some of these trends take hold, our individual and commercial landscapes will be notably different in the near future. Please use the link above to learn more.
Got mulch? I hope so. But don't let five persistent myths about mulch get in your way. Click title to learn more.
There are two ways of looking at everything, even our famous (or infamous) New England autumn leaf bonanza. Leaf removal is sometimes a big yard job--but it's also a free source of soil fertility. Leaves are important habitat for overwintering insects, reptiles, and amphibians. Leaf piles provide food for overwintering birds. The nests of ground-nesting bees are disguised and protected by fallen leaves.
There are five ways, by my count, to capture the value of leaves. See "Death. Taxes. Autumn Leaves." Or download the article, "Put Leaf Mulch to Work: Five Ways," attached below.
