Cooper Alonso
Location: Park Central West
This piece is my call to action (or more accurately inaction) for people to stop removing the leaves from their yards, and to leave them where they fall. I hope to show that these leaves form a layer of litter that houses all kinds of small creatures and fungi which are essential to the ecosystem.
The protection provided by these leaves gives ladybugs a safe place to go into diapause (like hibernation for bugs), caterpillars use leaves as materials for their cocoons and chrysalises, and many other critters use the leaf litter for food, shelter, and warmth. Leaf litter is also important for keeping the soil healthy and strong by providing the perfect environment for mushrooms to grow, which, along with bugs that eat and recycle the nutrients from the leaves, aid in decomposing the leaves back into the soil from which their trees grow.
I want people to reframe their way of thinking about the leaves in their yard from them being a nuisance or unsightly to them being like a house for many of the creatures that are responsible for the continual growth of plants all around them.
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