A Deeper Look!

Have you looked out your window lately at all the abundant life in your yard?

I mean actually looked?

What do you see...

What don't you see?

If you're lucky enough to have a front row seat to nature this chilly December morning, and not a neighboring stone building, you might see some birds, squirrels or maybe a frost covered lawn or garden.

Bare trees with a few scant nuts waiting to be stolen away and possibly some wind beaten birds nests high in the trees. Old flower pods and shrubs adorned by native birds still feasting on the last seeds of the year.

Quite possibly you don't have much of that around your property but hopefully you've been blessed with an abundance of it. Lucky You!

More than likely you don't remember the last time you looked for such things and took but just a moment to observe life outside your walls.

Maybe it's time...

Maybe, it's time for a nature walk?

At first observation some may think nature has slowed down or paused for these colder months when in fact it is still hard at work. Trees and plants may be without leaves and blooms but those plants are still developing roots deep in the soil. They are doing their job to grow strong so that they may provide shelter and food for wildlife now and in the warmer months to come. Though this is just one of many things, be assured that nature knows what job it needs to do.

You too can do your part by helping this process along and not hindering it by making small changes, or rather by NOT doing some-things!

Lets jump back to early fall when you or maybe a yard crew, is cleaning up your yard and gardens for the winter. Tidying up the beds and removing unwanted fallen leaves and limbs

Unwanted by you but welcomed by many others.

Leave the LEAVES!

Remember, just as you are preparing for the cold days, so are other living creatures too. Just by removing all the leaves in your yard for the county service or crew to take off the property, you just deprived wildlife and your soil a miraculous FREE gift. Those leaves provide shelter for many creatures and insects over the winter that are abundant around you, even if you don't see them. Those fallen leaves are a PERFECT and a FREE compost/mulch for your soil.

Trust me your lawns and gardens will thank you.

Now I'm not saying you have to leave mounds of leaves laying around the yard (hello HOA) but why not rake them into the beds to use as a natural mulch and soil conditioner. Though we'd love to believe that its our mad-gardening skills that make the plants thrive, in truth its your soil health. Dead lifeless soil will produce the same in plants.

Oh...

But rich, dark and slightly damp soil full of worms and decaying matter is a site to behold. For with this comes beauty and a thriving, living Eco-system around you.

Lets get a little science-y about the impact leaves have on soil.

It will be quick, I promise, but necessary!

The best way to see natural composting at work is by heading into a wooded area. At the base of a tree you will find a pile of leaves, just under that is a more decayed layer of leaves from the previous year, and another and so on, "leaf litter."

While digging down you will likely come across some red worms, earthworms and other invertebrates at work breaking down plant material. This is your topsoil layer, it's dark and rich and contains everything listed above as well as, more decomposed plant material, invertebrates feces, along with fungi and bacteria that ingest the organic matter and converts some to plant food.

Dead leaves contain high proportions of lignin, a fibrous material that makes up woody plants cell structure. Its slow to decompose but it supports many forms of fungi that feed on it. Mycorrhizal fungi being one of them that helps plant roots absorb nutrients.

So when rotted leaves populate the soil this beneficial fungi provides food for worms and other invertebrates, once consumed they then carry these nutrients deeper into the soil to feed plant roots.

This is the subsoil layer and is lighter in color due to the lower amounts of organic matter present.

Mowing leaves down to remain on the lawn is a natural fertilizer and one that won't deter the pollinators. Set your blades high and run over them a couple times to help break them down so they can stay in the yard and not piss off the neighbors (if HOA is a problem).

Mowed leaves also decompose faster and can be added to your garden beds instead of whole leaves (for aesthetic purposes too). If possible collect them into a pile to create whats called 'Leaf Mold' to be used as mulch.

(Leaf Mold is a post in itself, so more on that another time).

If wondering how this helps create an ecosystem, just think circle of life.

An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms (weather and landscapes included) that work together to form a bubble of life.

Every factor in an ecosystem depends on every other factor, either directly or indirectly. A change in the temperature of an ecosystem will often affect what plants will grow there. Animals that depend on plants for food and shelter will have to adapt to the changes, move to another ecosystem, or perish.

So doing your part to help preserve and maintain as much of the natural and man-made habitats that are present on your property is a big step in you DOING your part to help.

Whatever your view is this morning, don't be so quick to abandon the view to rush the day away. Sit for a spell, grab your coffee or tea and watch the ballet playing around you.

I know life doesn't always allow much time for such things but I do believe strongly that such things are more important than starting that next load of laundry, answering that next email or making sure all is in it's place.

Too often we take fore-granted how vital to our health it is to be outdoors and 'IN' nature and not just rushing through it.

Take a deep breath...

BE in nature, BE present and just BE.