Leaf-ing a Legacy

Plant leaves are amazing in their ability to harness the sun’s energy and spread it throughout the ecosystems in which they live.. With unrivaled efficiency leaves provide the following benefits:

·       Remove carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen gas that we all need to breathe.

·       Leaves shade the ground and cool the ground surface – a BIG benefit for a warming planet.

·       They also cool the air by evaporating water

·       In addition to releasing water to the atmosphere, leaves also intercept water as it returns to the Earth as rain – have you ever stood under a tree to stay dry during a storm? This process slows storm water run-off and contributes to green infrastructure goals of reducing flooding and water pollution.

·       Leaves provide food for wildlife – a white oak tree can provide food for over 600 wildlife species – with most being macroinvertebrates that are the base of the food chain.  Many moth and butterfly caterpillars feed directly on oak leaves, then many bird species feed on the caterpillars. The same leaves that fed the insects also produced carbohydrates that fed the oak tree that will produce acorns that many mammal species eat.

·       Leaves provide food for humans as well – think about lettuce, kale, spinach, etc.

·       Leaves color our landscape throughout the growing season and with a grand finale of reds, oranges, yellows and purple they close out the growing season.

·       Falling to the ground, leaves continue their eco-services. Leaf litter blankets the earth –  and helps keep soil in place.

·       Many macroinvertebrate species over-winter in leaf litter.

·       Fallen leaves continue feeding the Earth as hungry decomposers recycle nutrients in leaf litter and return it to the soil.

So we encourage you to add some plants to your landscape. We suggest adding native plants and there are a number of ways we can assist you. For starters, visit our home page and check out the Incentivized Conservation activities. For each completed activity, participants can earn a native plant.