I am from Southern California. The San Fernando Valley, to be exact. A place where a exactly six blocks on Zelzah Ave. in Reseda are lined with maple trees that may or may not change color each season, dependent on whether or not there is any rain in October. For a person like myself, who is simply awed by the majesty of colors that accompany a Mid-Atlantic autumn, I enjoy seeing the red, gold, and bright orange leaves on my front lawn. It tickles me.
My neighbors, on the other hand, spend their weekends chasing these leaves around with blowers and a rake. I don't get it.
So, I asked a rather innocent question of my neighbor yesterday, "What would happen if I just didn't rake my leaves this year?" I received a much more elaborate explanation that I anticipated. My neighbor, you see, is also my landscaper. Certainly, he enjoys thrice-billing me each season for a fall cleanup. But more importantly, he has a deep understanding of what happens beneath the leaves as they decay.
He rambled on for a period of time about how lawns need to breathe. He explained to me that my lawn is made up of cool weather grass that must "make hay" in order to regenerate next season. This requires sunlight that would be impeded by leaves. Yeah, yeah. But then he got my attention with the magic word: Mold and insects.
Oh, yes. Of course. Mold.
First, there is mold from decay. It's a part of the natural process. Then there is mold from moisture buildup within the vegetation. Finally, there is potential for snow mold. Snow mold is a fungal disease that appears in spring as snow melts. There are two types you may have seen in your life: Grey snow mold (also known as Typhula blight) and Pink snow mold. Both infect plants and grasses.
Granted, none of this mold will kill you. But they will wreak havoc on allergy sufferers AND they provide a ripe breeding ground for insects and critters. Spiders, ticks, mites, and mice love to hang out in leave piles. And while I don't particularly have a problem with these critters out in my yard, consider that I have a dog who would inevitably bring them in to share.
Ticks are not just bloodsucking parasites that breed in tall grass, brush, and piles of dead leave. They are can and do transmit more than 65 diseases. And there are upwards of 850 species of ticks worldwide, so don't count on a little tube of Frontline to keep them all away.
Alright, alright! Enough!
I got the point. Hopefully I can drive it home for you, too. Watching all of that beauty end up in a brown paper bag at the of the driveway sucks, but get out your rake, young one. It's just the socially-concious thing to do.
