亚洲天堂

Contributed by Andrew Holland, Nature Conservancy of Canada

The changing colour of leaves is one of the most beautiful aspects of the fall season, but it comes with an onerous task: raking them up once they鈥檝e fallen. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), however, has some green advice for people wishing to avoid back-breaking yard work: leave a layer or two of leaves on the ground, and if someone accuses you of being lazy, you can say you are actually helping nature.

The not-for-profit land conservation organization says leaving fallen leaves in your yard is a small act of nature conservation that can support backyard biodiversity in many ways. While some butterflies travel to warmer destinations, many native insects, including pollinators and other backyard wildlife, hibernate over the winter and can use a little neighbourly help.

Samantha Knight, an ecologist and national conservation science manager with NCC, says leaves can provide important over-wintering habitat for many species. 鈥淢any animals, such as toads, frogs and some moths and butterflies, have adapted to hibernate in the leaf litter,鈥� says Knight. 鈥淭he leaves provide an insulating blanket, which can help protect these animals from the cold and temperature fluctuations during the winter.鈥�

Another benefit of not raking your leaves is soil improvement. Knight points out that as leaves break down, they transform into a natural mulch, which helps enrich the soil and suppress weeds. Thick piles of leaves can impact the growth of grass and other plants come spring, but leaving a light covering can improve the health of our gardens and lawns. As the leaves break down, some of their carbon also gets stored in the soil. 鈥淲hile it鈥檚 great for cities to provide collection programs to compost leaves, we might as well allow for the leaves to naturally break down in our yards and fertilize our lawns,鈥� says Knight.

And it鈥檚 not just leaves that are important for backyard wildlife during the winter. 鈥淧lant stalks and dead branches also provide critical over-wintering habitat for many species,鈥� says Knight. 鈥淏y cleaning up our yards and gardens entirely, we are removing important over-wintering habitats for native wildlife in our communities.

鈥淏irds can also benefit from your garden during the winter. Fruits and seeds left on flowers and shrubs are a crucial food source that sustains many songbirds during the winter, including goldfinches, jays and chickadees. Providing food and shelter for our native birds and insects is just as important during the fall and winter as the spring and summer.鈥�

With about 80 per cent of Canadians living in towns and cities, backyard biodiversity is becoming increasingly important. 鈥淣ature conservation isn鈥檛 just about conserving large intact pieces of wilderness, it鈥檚 about supporting nature on all scales, down to the collective action we can all take in our own backyards,鈥� says Knight.

Encouraging and learning about nature around our homes can also help build a connection to our natural world. 鈥淭here is growing evidence that having a relationship with nature is critical for our health and well-being,鈥� says Knight. 鈥淎s Canadians, we have some of the planet鈥檚 last areas of wilderness, but for many of us and our children, finding that connection to nature starts at home.鈥�