A fall garden cleanup is part of the gardening tradition. Gardeners cut down plants and rake leaves to tidy up for winter. But times are changing. Many people now garden with native plants for bumblebees, monarch butterflies, and other pollinators. Insects remain in our yards and gardens all year round unless they migrate. Our fall cleanup can include their needs with simple changes.
Plants should remain standing. Native plants like joe-pye weed, blue vervain, stiff goldenrod, wild bergamot, New England asters, and swamp milkweed have hollow stems where cavity nesting bees start their nests in spring. The larvae grow through summer and overwinter in the stems. Raspberry canes from last year are also used for nest sites.
Elderberry, meadowsweet, sumac, snowberry, and other native shrubs provide nesting cavities in old, hollow stems and branches. The goldenrod fly lays eggs on goldenrod stems. The larvae feed inside the stem causing it to swell and form a gall where they overwinter.
The black swallowtail butterfly attaches its chrysalis to plant stems or twigs in the fall. The brown chrysalis looks like a dry leaf and blends in well with dead stems. By not cutting down plants in the fall we help this butterfly and many other insects emerge in the spring. Overwintering seeds and galls provide nutritious food for birds in fall and winter.
Leaves should remain on the ground to provide insulation and protect overwintering insects in each life stage: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Bumblebee queens, comma butterflies, luna moth cocoons, firefly larvae, and wooly bear caterpillars are just some of the insects that find protection overwintering in loose soil or fallen leaves.
Leaves become a perfect mulch when they remain under trees, plants, and shrubs. If you need to move leaves to other areas in your yard, it’s best not to blow or mow over them because insects might already be sheltering in the leaves. Gently rake and pile them in an undisturbed place. Eventually you can use the leaves as mulch.
One way to benefit insects and clean up dead branches or shrub trimmings in the fall is to create a brush pile. Place the large branches on the bottom with smaller branches, twigs, and leaves on top. The pile can be large or small. Small ones can be hidden behind plants or shrubs.
Bumblebees nest under brush piles and ground nesting bees find protection there. Other insects including ladybugs, moths, butterflies, and beetles hide and overwinter under brush piles. Old logs are also potential nesting sites and can become part of the garden when placed near flowers or hidden behind shrubs or plants.
By including insects in our traditional fall cleanup we also include ourselves. We can enjoy a winter garden, knowing in old stems and under fallen leaves covered in snow, these creatures will emerge in all their beauty when spring arrives.
Books
Holm, Heather. Bees: An identification and Native Plant Forage Guide, Pollination Press, 2017
Holm, Heather. Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants, Pollination Press, 2014
Johnson, Lorraine and S. Calla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators, Island Press, 2023
Mader, Eric, M. Shephard, M. Vaughan, S.H. Black and G. LeBuhn. The Xerces Society Guide. Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies. Story Publishing, 2011
Tallamy, Douglas. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Timber Press, 2007
Tallamy, Douglas. Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, Timber Press, 2019
Websites
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Native Bees – Bee Lab – University of Minnesota
Pat Thomas teaches classes and gives talks on insect gardening. She enjoys taking photos of insects in her yard and along the shores of Lake Superior. Currently she is writing a book on gardening for insects.
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