# @ahs_gardening on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ4Y7M3E_0v
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/55035520-ahs-gardening-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/5e933b55f8.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-11-10T15:32:40.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Horticultural Society | American Gardener Magazine (@ahs_gardening) — https://gondola.cc/ahs_gardening

## Caption

Raking the leaves in the fall can be such a chore, but we’ve got a solution—leave them! ⁠
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While monarch butterflies are known for their migration patterns, not all insects fly south for the winter. During the cold season, they make their home between the leaves and natural debris that covers the ground. ⁠
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A study done by University of Maryland Associate Professor of Entomology, Karin Burghardt, and graduate student, Max Ferlauto, found a 45% reduction in moth and butterfly numbers in leafless plots. Spiders decreased by up to 67%, beetles by 24%, and ichneumon wasps by 56%. Those aren’t small numbers. ⁠
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Burghardt, who doesn’t clear her leaves in the fall, is met with lacewing larvae and lady beetles in the spring, just in time to control aphids on coral honeysuckle. Creating habitat complexity can benefit you as much as it benefits insects. ⁠
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So maybe leave the leaves on the ground this fall—the bugs will thank you for it. ⁠
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To read more on how decaying leaves can be as important as live plants, visit “Beyond Flowers” in our July/August issue at ahsgardening.org. Not a member yet? Join us at connect.ahsgardening.org/join. ⁠
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Writer & Photographer: humanegardener ⁠
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#bugs #insects #butterflies #monarchbutterflies #conservation #butterflyconservation #falleneleaves #sustainablegardening #ahsgardening #americangardener

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## Tags

falleneleaves, butterflyconservation, monarchbutterflies, americangardener, insects, conservation, butterflies, bugs, ahsgardening, sustainablegardening

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