hallvef.blogg.se - The fallen leaf

When allowed to flourish, this orchestra of leaf-litter life can reduce runoff and flooding, improve tree health and promote healthy nutrient cycling, all while helping to stabilize crashing biodiversity levels. Even crustaceans like sowbugs and so much more!.

Decomposers like beneficial bacteria and fungi, including mycorrhizal fungi.

American idia and dark-spotted palthis moths, among dozens of others.

So what are some of the beneficial critters and microorganisms living amongst the leaf litter at some point of their lifecycle? “The diversity of arthropods in leaf litter and soil is extremely high in temperate areas, so much that leaf litter has been called the ‘poor man’s tropics’ because the diversity of litter-inhabiting arthropods rivals the diversity of larger insects you can find in more tropical areas,” says Michael Skvarla, PhD, assistant research professor of arthropod identification at Penn State University.

Just like our gut contains a complex makeup of different microorganisms, the leaf litter and soil underneath is also its own interconnected community. The luna moth needs to overwinter in leaf litter in cooler climates. If they aren’t bagged up, chopped up or composted during this stage, they have a shot at emerging as adults in late spring/early summer. This species hibernates under leaf litter in a tightly wrapped leaf cocoon. Makes sense.Īlso, and this is really the fun part, there are loads of beneficial organisms living under or in the leaf litter. This, in turn, results in trees that don’t live as long. “You’re throwing away the blanket that covers the soil community, which means you’re killing that community.” “If you’re throwing your leaves away every year, you’re throwing away the nutrients that fuel your tree,” explains Doug Tallamy, PhD, entomologist and best-selling author of Nature’s Best Hope and Bringing Nature Home. And then there are those who literally do nothing, often to the dismay of nearby residents.īut if you’re ready to face your personal responsibility in taking a more ecologically in tune approach to your landscape practices, you may be asking, “What’s the best way to deal with fallen leaves?” Dead Leaves Harbor Lots of Crucial Lifeįirst, it’s important to understand the function of fallen leaves. Still, others rev up the lawnmower to chop the leaves up into tiny bits. Others tidily pile them up -and then cram them into plastic bags bound for the landfill. Many folks blast fallen leaves off of their property, onto the street or neighboring land.

Ready to be a better neighbor? It’s Leaf-Blower Season: Put in Your Ear Plugs!Īutumn in America brings a lot of things: cooler days, colorful leaves and the unmistakable roar of local leaf blowers. And yes, it does impact your health - and the wellness of your entire community. But are you unknowingly stripping your yard of this same benefit? When you remove fallen leaves from your property, you’re doing just that. The #1 Best Way to Deal with Fallen Leavesĭo you consider yourself someone who takes great care of their inner ecology? Maybe you take probiotics to support balanced gut health, nourish yourself with healthy nutrients and avoid harmful chemicals.A Slightly Better Way to Manage Your Leaves.The Worst Ways to Deal with Your Leaves.Dead Leaves Harbor Lots of Crucial Life.It’s Leaf-Blower Season: Put in Your Ear Plugs!.He has published multiple poetry collections, such as Until the Time, When Our Love will Flourish, The Colour of Time, His Song and The Last Rehearsal. Now the trees are letting even the leavesįinally, the trees will stand as leafless trees. The trees have raised the flowers and fruitsīut they are letting the flowers and fruits The fallen leaves have walked for a long time With the neighbouring trees in the dry seasons. Likewise, the falling leaves do not fly dancingīirds fly away leaving traces of songs on boughs Without the help of the sun and the wind. Poetry & translation from Korean by Ihlwha Choi LEAFLESS TREES