Happening unseenFungi
How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
When: September to April
Under every damp leaf pile in an eastern Massachusetts yard or woodlot, microbes, millipedes, earthworms and their neighbors are turning dead leaves back into soil nutrients.
Why this time of year
The leaves that dropped this fall are matting down into a winter blanket, and the breakdown crew underneath will work them over until spring green-up.
How to notice it
- Lift a wet patch of leaves in a corner of the yard and look at the layers: whole on top, torn and lacy in the middle, dark and crumbly at the bottom.
- Look for the animals sheltering there, from beetles to butterflies waiting out the winter.
- Smell the bottom layer; that earthy smell is soil being made.
- Set the leaves back the way you found them so the sleepers stay covered.
Try this with kids: Can you find one whole leaf and one leaf that is only a skeleton of veins?
decomposers are the living things that break dead leaves and wood back down into soil
Safety
- Wash hands after digging through damp leaves.
Sources
- ento.psu.edumicrobes break down leaf litter, which is then consumed by wood lice, millipedes, snails, fly larvae, and earthworms; nitrogen is recycled from leaves back into soil for plants; butterflies and moths overwinter in litter
- extension.unh.eduleaves left in place compost where they lie, breaking down and enriching the soil; the leaf layer shelters overwintering pollinators; keep leaves fall through spring
- extension.umd.edubeneficial insects including lady beetles and other predators overwinter under leaf litter
In the guide for September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April