Decomposing Leaves Are Key to Rewilding Your Backyard 🍂

In our “Rewilding Your Backyard” series, we’ve been exploring ways to create a mini-ecosystem in your own outdoor space through planting species native to where you live. While most people think of rewilding as a springtime activity it is just as important in the fall. One of the simplest yet most impactful actions you can take is to skip the rake this season, letting leaves decompose naturally and nurture the life around them.

Rewilding the Boreal Forest and Your Backyard

In Canada’s boreal forest, nature follows a rhythm that allows it to thrive. When leaves fall and start to decompose, they don’t just disappear. Instead, they return critical nutrients to the soil, provide insulation for young plants and seeds, and create shelter for countless creatures that contribute to the forest’s health. By leaving the leaves in our backyards, we can mimic this natural process, supporting the soil and wildlife around us.

Why Leaves Are Essential to Rewilding in the Fall

When you leave the leaves on the ground here’s how they contribute to creating a backyard ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round:

🍂 Recharging Soil Health for Next Spring: Decomposing leaves break down slowly, feeding the soil essential nutrients over the winter months. This nutrient boost primes the soil for next spring’s growth, reducing the need for artificial fertilizers. The rich, organic soil supports native plants that, come spring, create a more resilient and sustainable garden.

🍂 Encouraging Biodiversity and Sheltering Pollinators: While spring rewilding often focuses on attracting pollinators with flowering plants, fall is all about creating habitat for those same pollinators to hibernate. By leaving leaves undisturbed, you provide critical shelter for butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. Small animals like toads, frogs, and overwintering insects also rely on leaf litter for warmth and protection during the long cold months.

🍂 Mimicking Natural Processes to Build a Mini-Ecosystem: In nature, leaves are never bagged and carted away. Instead, they decay in place, sustaining the soil and small creatures that contribute to ecosystem health. By following this approach in your yard, you encourage a natural cycle that supports everything from fungi to mammals. It’s a simple way to bring nature’s processes to your backyard and experience the benefits of a thriving ecosystem up close.

🍂 Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Think of all the steps involved in traditional leaf removal: raking, bagging, transporting, and then decomposing those leaves at a landfill or compost facility. By leaving them in place, you help cut down on carbon emissions and waste, contributing to a healthier climate and more time for you to enjoy this beautiful season.

How to “Rewild” Your Backyard This Fall by Leaving the Leaves

Here are a few ways to integrate “leaving the leaves” into your backyard rewilding plan:

🍂 Mulch Leaves with a Mower: If a whole layer of leaves feels too unruly, use a mulching mower to shred them. This allows them to decompose faster while still providing benefits to your lawn and soil.

🍂 Designate a Leaf Habitat: Create a designated leaf pile in a quieter area of your yard. This gives animals and insects a dedicated space for shelter, and as the leaves decompose, they’ll naturally enrich the soil below. Should you choose to create a leaf pile, beware the leaf jumpers—small but loud, joyful creatures who take pleasure disrupting piles of freshly raked leaves. 

🍂 Layer in Garden Beds: Move some leaves to garden beds to act as winter mulch, adding nutrients while protecting plants from frost. In spring, this decomposed material will serve as rich soil, ready for new growth.

Embrace Rewilding Year-Round

Rewilding doesn’t end when the first frost arrives. By making small changes that align with nature’s rhythms—like leaving leaves on the ground—you help create an environment that nurtures wildlife, supports biodiversity, and prepares the soil for spring. Embracing rewilding as a year-round practice gives you a unique opportunity to connect with and support nature at every season’s turn.

So this fall, join us in rewilding your backyard by leaving the leaves. It’s an easy, impactful way to give back to the ecosystem—and your backyard will come alive in ways you may never have imagined!