Habitat for Insects and Beneficial Bacteria

When left alone, leaves don’t just break down and rot on their own. They are home to thousands of species of insects and microorganisms that help the process along. The insects break the leaves up into smaller pieces where they can then be slowly processed by bacteria and other detritivores, breaking it down into nutrients that can then return to the soil to be used by your plants.

Food Source for Wildlife

Those insects that live in the leaf litter on your lawn also make up an important aspect of the broader food web. Birds, moles, and other insectivores rely on leaf litter to supply a consistent source of food throughout the fall and winter when bugs are much less likely to be out and about. Also, many species of trees and other plants drop seeds along with their leaves in the fall, which is the primary food source of many small mammals like squirrels, chipmunks, and mice.