This letter to the editor was published in the Times Union, Albany, N.Y., on Dec. 2, 2024. It was written as part of the Capital Region NY Wild Ones’ Chapters advocacy initiatives, an effort to spread the word about the value of native plants and the environment they provide for pollinators. Here is a link to the article on Timesunion.com. (Gift link active through Feb. 20, 2025.)
I’d like to share a few words of encouragement to readers regarding the recent article in the Real Estate section on how to “Readying lawn, garden for winter,” Nov. 3.
If you have fallen behind on your outdoor “to do” lists, take heart; and, if the distractions of home, work and everyday life have kept you from raking out your flower beds, don’t worry. Instead, congratulate yourself on doing something very good for our environment.
Those fallen leaves are home to a multitude of critters. Leaving the leaves not only provides natural cover for many overwintering pollinators, but it also provides organic matter that will ultimately nourish the trees above. The more we resist the urge to tidy up, the more we support the survival of moths, butterflies, snails, spiders and dozens of anthropods.
Wild Ones Capital Region Chapter advocates for all the ways we can support our native plants and their habitat.
Laura Davis, Colonie
The writer is the secretary for the local Wild Ones Chapter.https://capitalregionny.wildones.org/