Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants

by Douglas W. Tallamy

We lose much when we remove leaf litter because it provides so many free services for us: free mulch, free fertilizer, free weed control, and free soil amendments. Litter also provides habitat for many of the arthropod predators that help keep garden communities ecologically balanced. Above all, a deep bed of leaf litter acts like a sponge, soaking up enormous quantities of water during downpours. Without litter, rainwater typically flows off our properties and into the gutters, flooding streams, rivers, and occasionally our homes. When the rain stops, leaf litter that has been allowed to accumulate slowly releases its moisture, keeping the plants and trees in your garden well hydrated, even during dry periods. Bare ground (or lawn) does none of this.