(This article was written by Angela Mason Foster, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer)

As the days shorten and temperatures drop, many gardeners feel the need to tidy up their yards in preparation for winter. It’s a common practice to rake up leaves, cut back perennials, and dispose of fallen branches. However, leaving parts of your garden untended during the colder months can provide essential habitat for wildlife. By refraining from a full garden cleanup, you can offer birds, insects, and small mammals a safe place to find food, shelter, and overwintering sites. This not only supports local biodiversity but also creates a healthier, more resilient garden come spring.

The Benefits of Leaving Leaves

Fallen leaves are a crucial component of a healthy garden ecosystem. They create a natural mulch that insulates plant roots, protects soil from erosion, and helps retain moisture. But beyond these benefits, leaves also provide essential habitat for wildlife. Insects such as moths, butterflies, and beetles often lay their eggs in leaf litter, where the larvae will remain protected throughout the winter. Some species, like the red-banded hairstreak butterfly, even depend on fallen leaves for their entire life cycle.

Birds and small mammals also rely on leaf litter to find food. Many invertebrates, such as earthworms and spiders, live in the leaves and provide a rich food source for animals like robins and toads. By clearing away leaves, you may inadvertently remove a vital part of the food web in your garden. Instead, consider raking leaves into garden beds or under trees, where they can decompose naturally and enrich the soil. This simple practice helps to recycle nutrients while supporting wildlife.

The Importance of Dead Plants

While dead or decaying plants may seem unsightly, they play a vital role in the garden during winter. Many native plants, such as sunflowers, asters, and coneflowers, hold onto their seed heads throughout the winter, providing an important food source for birds. Species like goldfinches and chickadees rely on these seeds to survive when other food sources are scarce. Even plants that appear completely dead, like grasses and perennials, offer benefits. Their hollow stems can serve as overwintering sites for pollinators, including native bees, which use the cavities to hibernate or lay eggs.

Rather than cutting back all of your plants, consider leaving seed-bearing plants and tall grasses standing. This not only helps wildlife but also adds texture and interest to your winter garden. Hollow stems and dried flower heads create a natural habitat for insects while providing shelter from harsh weather. Leaving these structures intact until spring ensures that your garden continues to support wildlife even in the coldest months.

Creating Brush Piles for Shelter

Another valuable addition to your winter garden is a brush pile made from fallen branches, twigs, and other plant debris. These piles mimic the natural structures found in forests and woodlands, providing shelter and protection for a wide range of species. Small mammals like rabbits and squirrels use brush piles to escape predators and find warmth during the winter. Amphibians, reptiles, and insects also take refuge in these structures, seeking out the dense cover to avoid freezing temperatures.

To create a brush pile, start by layering large branches at the base to create a stable foundation. Then, add smaller twigs, leaves, and plant stems to fill in the gaps. Place the pile in a quiet corner of your yard, where it won’t be disturbed. Not only will this provide valuable habitat for wildlife, but it will also give you a place to recycle organic material from your yard.

Supporting Birds Through the Winter

In addition to leaving natural food sources in your garden, you can supplement the diets of birds by adding feeders. Suet feeders are particularly valuable during the winter months, as they provide high-energy food that helps birds survive the cold. Black-oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seed, and peanuts are also excellent choices for attracting a variety of bird species.

Providing fresh water is another way to help wildlife through the winter. Heated bird baths or aerators can prevent water from freezing, ensuring that birds have access to clean water even when natural sources are unavailable. Placing these water sources near shelter, such as shrubs or brush piles, will make your garden even more appealing to birds and other wildlife.

Conclusion

As you prepare your garden for the winter months, consider leaving parts of it untended to benefit wildlife. By allowing leaves to remain, leaving dead plants standing, creating brush piles, and rethinking your lawn care, you can provide essential habitats that support a wide range of species. These simple changes not only help wildlife survive the winter but also create a more vibrant, diverse garden when spring arrives.

Suggested Reading List

1. “The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife” by Nancy Lawson (2017)
   This book explores how to create a garden that supports wildlife and promotes biodiversity, offering practical tips and personal stories to inspire change.
2. “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants” by Douglas W. Tallamy (2009, updated edition 2020)
   A classic in the field of native plant gardening, Tallamy explains the importance of using native plants to support wildlife and how even small gardens can have a significant impact.
3. “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard” by Douglas W. Tallamy (2020)
   Tallamy builds on the ideas in Bringing Nature Home, providing a call to action for gardeners to take conservation into their own hands by creating wildlife habitats in their backyards.
4. “Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds, and Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving” by Frederique Lavoipierre (2021)
   This comprehensive guide offers insight into the beneficial wildlife that helps maintain garden ecosystems, from pollinators to predators, and how to welcome them into your landscape.

If you are having an issue in your home garden or landscape, send your questions to Gene Fox, Consumer Horticulture Agent with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, please email Gene at gene_fox@ncsu.edu or call at (252)946-0111. Check out our Facebook page, Beaufort County Master Gardeners, for The Plant of the Week and Finding Info Friday!