from Libby Mills together with the Xerces Society

Pollinators and birds need you to do less this fall – leave the leaves or rake them around plantings.  The insects and spiders underneath will be vital food for small birds.  Beneficial insects are protected under that light layer of leaves.  Sparrows, siskins, and finches snack on dead flower heads and fruits.  A messy and natural yard leaves food and habitat for tiny birds that need all the energy they can find on short cold days.  What you leave behind may provide the urgently needed calories that may mean winter survival for the wings that feed our spirit.