03/12/2026
Looks like s**t, right?? Well, here’s why we leave our yard and gardens looking this way for as long as we can.
What might look like a lazy clean up job to some is our way of protecting hundreds of little endangered friends.
🐝In fall, bees, butterflies and other beneficial pollinators make nests in the fallen leaves and dried flower stalks to survive overwinter. By removing dead material too early, you risk destroying many of these pollinators. A good rule of thumb is to wait until temperatures are a steady 50 degrees F. (10 C.). This can be tough in Michigan, since our March temps can be anywhere from 70F and drop to 30F the next day… but waiting will protect their habitat in the spring and ensure you have a healthy pollinator population for your garden’s ecosystem.
🦋When clearing out old stems, look for bee activity such as ends of stems plugged with mud or plant material. Leave those in place for nesting bees. I typically move them to a corner of the garden here our pollinator houses live. Also keep and eye out for chrysalises and cocoons when pruning back shrubs and other woody material. If a branch hosts one of these, please leave it in place for now.
Large scale tilling is another way to destroy ecosystems.
🐛Lightning bugs (at least the ones we get here in Michigan) bury their eggs really deep in the ground. They then grow for up to 3 YEARS, and emerge to the surface once they reach their adult stage, which sadly only live up to 30 DAYS! That’s sooo much work to live so short a life… Hand tilling is the best way to go, though I know not everyone can do that.
🌈In conclusion, I just hope this helps people keep our pollinator friends in mind before we get down to the dirty work and start our next growing season. If you made it to the end of this post, I love you. Thanks for reading. 🤟
