In fall, Leave Your Leaves.
That pile of fallen leaves isn't yard waste — it's a winter shelter for hundreds of species that call Edmonton home. Leave your leaves, and give them a home for the winter.
That pile of fallen leaves isn't yard waste — it's a winter shelter for hundreds of species that call Edmonton home. Leave your leaves, and give them a home for the winter.
Delay yard cleanup until average temperatures reach above 10 °C.
Below this temperature, many beneficial pollinators like native bees, butterflies and moths remain dormant inside leaf litter. Raking or blowing leaves and yard debris away before they emerge can destroy their shelter and the entire food web that depends on them.
Leaf litter isn't dead — it's one of the most biodiverse microhabitats in urban and suburban yards.
The majority of Alberta’s native bees nest in the ground.
Leaves and yard debris play a crucial role for bees to develop and protect their nests. Without this cover, eggs, larvae, and dormant bumblebee queens are less likely to make it to spring.
Removing leaf litter cuts butterfly and moth species richness by 40% and abundance by 45% in a single season.
Swallowtails, and fritillaries all overwinter as eggs, caterpillars, or chrysalises tucked in dead leaves.
Leaf removal reduces beetle populations by 24% and spider populations by up to 67%.
Ground beetles can eat their own weight in pests, every day. Removing their winter home means more pest pressure from aphids slugs and grubs next summer.
Ferlauto & Burghardt, 2025 • Xerces Society96% of terrestrial bird chicks are raised almost exclusively on caterpillars and insects.
Ground-feeding birds like chickadees, sparrows, and robins forage through leaf litter all winter for hibernating insects, larvae, seeds, and earthworms.
Yards where leaves are left to decompose hold 32% more soil carbon.
Fallen leaves return 50–80% of the nutrients trees drew from the soil — nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and more.
Better than most fertilizers, all for free.
A layer of leaf litter reduces surface water runoff by 29–31% and soil erosion by up to 85%, keeping moisture in the ground rather than flowing into storm drains.
It helps keep your lawn healthy and hydrated, and suppresses weeds without a single spray of Roundup.
Best and easiest: just leave your leaves where they lie in fall. But if that doesn't work for you, there are other options
Move leaves off your lawn onto garden beds and around trees. A few inches of leaf cover is perfect — deep enough to insulate, shallow enough to let water through.
Can't move them? Run your mower over dry leaves to shred them. The small pieces decompose quickly without smothering grass, returning nutrients directly to your lawn.
Even a small undisturbed pile in a corner of your yard makes a meaningful difference. Bumblebee queens and ground beetles aren't fussy — a sheltered spot is enough.
The most important step. Before tidying up in spring, check the forecast. Wait until daily temperatures are consistently above 10 °C — that's when it's safe for insects to emerge.
Pick up a sign at one of our partner locations.
10831 95 St NW, Edmonton
Signs in stock here!
100 King St #15, Spruce Grove
Signs in stock here!
4712 99 St NW, Edmonton, AB
Signs in stock here!
Response has been incredible! All signs available for delivery have already gone out. The stock in the store is all that's left.
If you'd like to register your interest for a future printing, you can join the waitlist below.
Join waitlistSigns are expensive! We're personally out-of-pocket to run this campaing. If you want to help offset those personal costs, e-transfers to donate@leaveyourleaves.ca are gratefully accepted.
A $10 donation covers the cost of two signs.
Don't want to keep an eye on the forecast and make the judgement on when it's time to rake? Let us do it for you! Leave your email and we'll send you an alert when it's above ten in Edmonton and you're good to start gardening :)
Sign up for alertsA quick look at why leaving your leaves matters.
Want to talk to us? Email hello@leaveyourleaves.ca
Leave Your Leaves thanks the following partners for their contributions. This helps get signs onto the lawns of Edmontonians and share the message about protecting our bees.
If you would like to contribute to help the campaign be a success, you can send an email to hello@leaveyourleaves.ca, or send e-transfer donations to donate@leaveyourleaves.ca.
Our signs are fully free for you to use and remix. Want to print at home? Want to run this campaign in another city? Great! Here are full-resolution PDFs:
