Anja Murray: So-called 'leaf litter' doesn't mean gardens need a clean sweep

There is a very good biodiversity case for leaving the leaves alone

Anja Murray: "Leaving fallen leaves in situ offers many benefits. Not only do they provide crucial wintering habitat and foraging resources for many invertebrates and birds; they are also a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds while fertilising the soil as they break down." 

As October unfolds, a sprinkling of crispy leaves gathers beneath trees, spreading autumnal blankets of yellow and orange across the ground. Together with twigs, tree seeds and bits of fallen bark, these leaves are a layer of life that ecologists refer to as ‘leaf litter’. Thousands of species live among the leaf litter, some simply hiding out from cold weather, others actively processing and breaking down the organic material.

Millipedes, woodlice, earthworms, and nematodes eat and digest decomposing plant matter, breaking it up into smaller pieces. Then, tandem forces of bacteria and fungi decompose these and convert them into valuable nutrients. Communities of these detritivores and decomposers together recycle the apparatus of photosynthesis, ensuring the availability of vital nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus for trees and other plants to resume another season of growth next year.