As someone who is recovering from a knee injury sustained while slipping and falling on a patch of leaves while riding my bike recently, I can relate all too well when Bob Welch writes that, “leaves…can make bike riding unsafe.”

Indeed, it is crucial that we keep leaves off the sidewalks, roads, bike lanes and bike paths as much as possible. It is also true that when leaves pile up on someone’s lawn, they can kill the grass.

However, after the bulk of the leaves have fallen and been collected, consider leaving a few leaves on your lawn. Butterflies and moths rely on some leaf cover to protect and feed their eggs until they metamorphose in the spring. An additional benefit is that they help fertilize the lawn, reducing or eliminating the need to use synthetic fertilizers.

Welch is right to begrudge the ritual of raking (or blowing) leaves, albeit for more personal reasons. A few left on the ground now will produce a more vibrant spring in a few months, and save everyone a little work in the meantime.

Erica Lyon
Eugene