![NWF Urging Minnesotans to NOT Rake Their Leaves](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2016/08/GettyImages-77393723.jpg?w=630&h=420&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89&w=980&q=75)
NWF Urging Minnesotans to NOT Rake Their Leaves
The fall colors are done, and leaves are falling off trees. To rake or not to rake, that is the question. According to Return To Now, we should let leaves lie. Here are the reasons why.
1. It's Not Natural - Nature does what nature needs to do. A leaf layer on the ground is its own little ecosystem and is good for the ground.
2. Wildlife Depends On It - That mini ecosystem provides food and shelter for many little critters like chipmunks, earthworms, and toads.
3. Free Mulch - Leaf layers create an awesome and free fertilizer for gardens and naturally suppresses weeds. Great for gardeners!
4. The Birds and The Butterflies - When you throw out leaves from your yard, you could be throwing out butterfly and moth pupae that were laid on them. Come spring the birds rely on that pupae to feed their babies.
5. Waste - Approximately 33 million tons of yard waste ends up in landfills. The leaves and grass clippings aren't bad, but the plastic bags they are disposed of in are because they don't decompose. If you have to rake your leaves, compost them or send them to a community garden.
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