As Aristotle said, “Nature does nothing uselessly.” Those fall leaves littering your lawn actually serve a very important purpose as winter habitat not only for pollinating insects, but also for amphibians and reptiles. By the time many of us get to our autumn yard clean-up, turtles are already winding down for the season before brumating (hibernating), and are sluggish and vulnerable. This astoundingly resilient Eastern box turtle was discovered under the leaves by a family that was out raking during last weekend’s warm temps, and she is a survivor if ever there was one. Not only is she in the process of healing from a spectacular shell fracture which has compromised her ability to walk with ease, she also appears to have suffered chronic ear abscesses in the past, judging by the scarring and protuberance on the left side of her head. Despite having come so far and endured so much, she could easily have been accidentally bagged up with the leaves and hauled off to the dump, or even burned to death, if fire had been the preferred leaf-removal option.
As Americans we are by and large a culture of lawn-worshipers. And our notions of “seasonal” yard work rarely take our wild neighbors into account. Germany, by contrast, strictly prohibits significant shrub and tree work between March and September in recognition of bird nesting season. If we can learn to recognize that animal habitats are not defined by our property lines, perhaps we can build awareness of how our impulses to manicure affect those who are struggling to survive around us—whom we may not even see. It IS possible to maintain a landscape that works for all its residents; look at the many Gardening for Wildlife resources available (and what better time to try it than during a pandemic?). You can have a gorgeous lawn and still make room for the needs of animals.
Protecting our native turtles requires more than simply helping them cross roads when you find them. Wildlife is with us all year, and they’re just trying to get by. It’s up to us to adopt a healthy land stewardship ethic that helps them feel at home and stay safe—one homeowner, and one leaf pile, at a time.