Sunset is occurring earlier, temps are starting to drop, and our yards are turning shades of orange, yellow, and red. With grass growing slower and leaves starting to drop, our lawncare shifts from beautifying to cleaning up and preparing for the cold winter ahead.

It can be tempting to cut down the dying plants and bag up every last leaf that hits the lawn. This will make your lawn appear clean and manicured for the cooler months, right?

We will soon put in clean furnace filters and pull out thick blankets to get comfy while indoors. But what conditions should we create outdoors to prepare wildlife for the long wait ‘til spring?

Why should we worry about leaving a place for wildlife?

Spring seems far away, but we will eventually have native plants blooming in our yards, and vegetable plants flowering in our gardens again. When that time-of-plenty comes, pollinators help us out. They travel from flower-to-flower and yard-to-yard to move pollen around, creating fruits and seeds to continue the cycle.

But to get to that season, the pollinators must survive the winter. This is where our current actions help them out. We can create conditions that are favorable to overwintering insects.

According to the USDA, 90 species of crops in the U.S require pollination to produce food, and many of those pollinators have been declining for decades. The National Park Servicelists some of the issues leading to loss of pollinators, notably, loss of habitat. If the insects have insufficient shelter, they have a lower chance of survival. We mostly see insects in their adult, flying form. But much of their life cycle is spent as larvae, living on the ground under thin layers of plant material.

What can we do to help pollinators overwinter?

You don’t need to rake up all of the leaves! Are there areas of your yard where blowing leaves gather up against a fence or under bushes? Those leafy areas act as refuges for insects. Try leaving those until the frosts are behind us in the spring. If you don’t want to rely on the chance of wind to deposit leaves, try raking them into areas where there is bare soil. In that garden that is done for the season, a leaf cover will keep the soil in place until next year’s plants arrive.

If you really can’t look at the leaves, another option is to mulch them with your lawnmower. These smaller bits may still benefit the overwintering insects, plus they will decompose to add nutrients to your soil, growing healthier plants next spring.

Layers of leaves aren’t the only protection we can offer insects. Old stems also provide shelter for overwintering. If you deadhead old flowers, leave the lower parts of the plant behind until next year’s growth emerges and needs that space.

Want more resources to learn about what is living in your yard and what you can do for them? Xerces Society has articles about winter habitat protection. Read them under one of those thick blankets in the back of your closet.

Rob Srygler earned his PhD at NIU and is an Associate Professor of Biology at Rock Valley College. He is a member of the City of DeKalb Citizens’ Environmental Commission.