Fall Yard Habits that Help Pollinators Survive Winter

A few years ago, Katie Costanzo and her students went curbside shopping for trash. They collected eight bags of leaves that homeowners around Buffalo had raked up for disposal, then sifted through them to see what—if anything—was hiding inside.

The bags were anything but empty. They contained insects from more than 25 families, representing every stage of life from eggs and larvae to pupae and adults. There were bees, wasps, lacewings, hoverflies, beetles and more—all tucked into material their human landlords had deemed garbage. The class exercise was laterpublished in American Entomologist.

That is the problem with what we call "fall cleanup." Costanzo, an ecologist and entomologist at Canisius University, wishes people would stop viewing leaves, stems and wood as trash. "This is part of the ecology of our system," she said. "This could be habitat or resources." Much of what looks dead, messy or finished for the season is still serving as food, shelter or a nursery. And leaves are only the beginning.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.