Why leave the leaves? They provide shelter and protection for many animals through the winter and return nutrients back into the soil. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

There are some topics too important not to bring up annually, and as I drive around seeing dozens of trash bags being filled with leaves, and the hum of leaf blowers fills the fall landscape, I know it is time for the annual reminder to “leave the leaves.”

This has been a beautiful fall for foliage around the state and as we approach the end of October many of those leaves are carpeting the ground. Oaks will hang a bit longer, but our culturally ingrained lawn-loving instinct is kicking in to clear our yards and show off the non-native grass we’ve kept perfectly mowed all summer. Instead, I’m here to encourage you to kick your feet up, or go work on another project, and leave those leaves on the ground.

Of course if you are reading this column, you know that this is coming purely from an environmentally conscious perspective. The leaves provide shelter and protection for many animals through the winter and return nutrients back into the soil. You may prefer the aesthetic of a biological wasteland, or at least the monoculture of non-native grass that has become commonplace in most American yards. My yard has grass, too, at least right in front of the house, while I’ve let a third of my yard go “wild.” I planted a few native plants to add some native berries (birds love the fruit from the arrowwood viburnum) and a splash of color (red osier dogwood stems) to my yard.

I often recommend reading Krystal D’Costa’s 2017 Scientific American piece “The American Obsession with Lawns” for a history and explanation of our strange fascination with lawns and how they have become a cultural “symbol.” The unfortunate truth is that if you want a “perfect” lawn, you’re almost certainly going to have a negative impact on some wildlife.

Another fall yard-care concept I’ve written about in the past, but warrants bringing up again here, is that now is a great time to work on removing invasive species. There are a few really bad offenders that typically got to our yards accidentally but thrive and outcompete native species without controls, like their natural predators. There are a couple of species I find shooting up in my yard every year, despite my best efforts to control them. This serves as a good reminder that it does take regular maintenance; seeds are really good at spreading.

Two invasives to look for now are Japanese barberry and multiflora rose. Japanese barberry (berberis thunbergii) is a short shrub with bright red fruit and a sharp spine. Fall is an easy time to spot them as their densely clustered oval-shaped leaves turn a vivid red; all summer they’ve blended in with everything else around them. It is also easy to spot the rose hips and bicolored stems of multiflora rose (rosa multiflora) once their leaves drop.

For a complete list of Maine invasive species to be on the lookout for, visit the Maine Natural Areas Program website. This list is easy to search and includes fact sheets on all the species that even tell you best control methods.

Keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing task. Is there a quarter of your yard that you can leave untouched and give bees, salamanders and caterpillars a better chance to survive? We are in a biodiversity crisis right now, and something as simple as “doing less yardwork” can hopefully add up to having a big impact.

Have you got a nature or wildlife question of your own? It doesn’t have to be about birds! Email questions to ask@maineaudubon.org and visit maineaudubon.org to learn more about birding, native plants, and programs and events focusing on Maine wildlife and habitat. Doug and other naturalists lead free bird walks on Thursday mornings, 7 to 9 am, at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Falmouth.