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Autumn is a wonderful time of year. For many, it ranks alongside spring as a firm favourite, and like its counterpart, autumn is a very busy time for wildlife of all types. Spring sees pairing up, nest building and breeding as the focus for the birds in your garden and beyond, but in autumn, the preparation for winter is the focus of their activities.

For lovers of autumn, it must be the colour of the leaves that provides much of the seasonal enjoyment, but those self-same leaves can also prove to be the bane of many gardeners’ lives. Those who prefer a nice tidy garden struggle to think of them as anything more than just a mess. But as we know, they provide a vital seasonal shelter and food sources for a surprising number of garden wildlife species.

That carpet that is covering the lawn can provide shelter for Hedgehogs that often hibernate in dense piles of dry leaves, tucked under hedges, sheds, or compost heaps. With numbers declining, the need to help one of the country’s favourite animals is greater than ever. The leaves can also provide excellent bedding in hedgehog boxes, which many are now putting in their gardens. Amphibians like frogs, toads, and newts also make good use of the leaves by using leaf litter to insulate themselves from frost. Insects too (including butterflies in chrysalis form, ladybirds, and beetles) hide in leaf piles to overwinter.

While the leaves can provide a location for overwintering, many of the insect-eating birds have worked this out, too! As a result, you will often see Blackbirds and Robins turning over leaves to see if they can find a meal. Leaf litter also creates a microhabitat for worms, spiders, woodlice, and beetle larvae, so the creatures feed on decaying plant material, recycling nutrients back into the soil. By taking up residence in the litter to feed on the decaying leaves, they are also providing even more food for the birds that like to feast on them.

With all this going on, you can see why gardeners are often urged to hold off raking their lawns in early autumn. If you clear leaves early, you’re removing the buffet that sustains birds and small mammals through the leaner months. Disturbing hibernating wildlife also results in them having to use vital energy reserves to find a new location to see out the winter, sometimes with disastrous consequences. These alternative locations may not be as suitable and could also make them more vulnerable to predators.

Quite apart from the wildlife benefits, leaves litter helps to protect plants and soil and act as a natural mulch insulating plant roots and improving soil health as they break down. Overly eager raking can expose the soil to erosion and deprive it of this natural fertiliser. As a result, the gardens become less hospitable to both plants and wildlife. 

So, when is it safe to rake? Try to leave it until late autumn or early winter, after a series of hard frosts, as many creatures will have entered hibernation by then. But even then, try to leave some piles in corners, under shrubs, or behind sheds as dedicated wildlife refuges. If you must clear leaves from lawns or paths for safety, move them gently into wildlife-friendly heaps instead of removing them entirely. Relocate and manage them instead of removing them. If you are keen to make your garden even more wildlife-friendly, why not mix leaves with a few sticks or twigs to make the pile more breathable for hedgehogs?

One area that must be dealt with is clearing fallen leaves from bird baths. On windy days birdbaths, upon which many birds rely during the colder months, get choked with leaves which, if left, will start to break down and make the water unsafe. This is one instance where the regular removal of the leaves is essential.

A few other things to consider if you have leaves covering your garden but want to encourage wildlife: don’t shred the leaf litter. A few years ago, garden shredders seemed to be everywhere. Even though they don’t seem as popular as they once were, try to avoid using them unless you have checked the leaves to ensure you are only shredding leaves and nothing else! The same goes for anyone thinking of burning the leaves. Many years ago, we were all asked to check our bonfires before lighting them on November 5th. Today fewer fires are lit to celebrate Guy Fawkes night, but the same caution should be used if you decide to burn the leaves. And above all, try not to remove all the leaf litter. After all, it is a valuable part of your garden’s ecosystem.