By Molly Kirk
When you make decisions about how to maintain your yard and property this fall, keep in mind that there are many different species of wildlife that call your yard home. While raking leaves and mowing tall grass might create a neater “look” for your yard, leaving your yard with a somewhat messier appearance creates valuable food and shelter for not only birds, but also pollinators, reptiles, and other animals.
As the weather cools and the leaves change color and begin to fall, think about how you can benefit wildlife by restoring the wild in your own backyard. By leaving habitat in place, birds and pollinators will be more attracted to your property. As DWR Small Game Project Leader, Marc Puckett explains, “Autumn is a time when birds need cover and seeds, pollinators need the last fall nectar, and insects still need plants as hosts. All those seeds and insects provide valuable food for birds.
The good news is that less is more. Restoring the wild in your backyard is really just leaving things where they lie and not making an active effort to clean up. Here are some tips.
- Don’t mow
“Mowing during fall will result in an area devoid of cover all winter long. Wait until early to mid-March to mow, if possible,” Puckett said. “And perhaps even more importantly, even if you do mow in fall, don’t mow it all every year.”
If you have a smaller property, consider leaving a strip or border of taller vegetation somewhere. The matures grasses will also produce seed-heads that feed native birds.
- Leave the Leaves
DWR’s former Habitat Education Coordinator, Carol Heiser, said: “One of the most important things you can do for wildlife is to allow the leaves to stay on the ground, rather than bagging them up and throwing them away. The dead leaves act as a kind of cover or blanket for dormant insects, and leaf cover can also keep the soil from eroding.”
Leaves on the ground can also be valuable habitat for salamanders, snails, worms, and toads. So, leave your leaves or rake them up into your garden beds and use them as mulch, rather than bagging and throwing them away.
Homeowners should also consider taking it easy on the fall garden clean-up, ideally leaving garden beds intact. “When you leave the dry stalks and seed heads standing, they provide a safe place for insects to lay their eggs for next year’s cycle, and for birds to hide from predators,” said Heiser. All those seed heads are also full of seeds that birds can pick on through fall and winter; they are nature’s bird feeder.
If wind has knocked a few dead branches out of your trees, consider piling them up into a brush pile (you can even move some of those leaves there). The pile will give shelter to small wintering birds along with rabbits and other wildlife.
Simplifying your routine fall yard and land maintenance practices really can make a difference for birds, insects, pollinators, and other wildlife. Improving your fall and winter backyard habitat can be a significant step in helping to restore the wild for many species.