It’s officially Fall now in Kentucky, and the leaves are beginning to fall to the ground. What is your motto for fallen leaves? Do you bag them up and put them near the street? Do you recycle them and re-use them in your garden to enhance the soil? Or do you simply do nothing with them and let mother nature take care of the leaves. Well, in this episode of the Sunshine Gardening Podcast, I chat with wildlife biologist Shannon Trimboli and podcaster of Backyard Ecology, to get her perspective on reasons why it is important to leave the fallen leaves in the landscape. Shannon goes on to explain other reasons for leaving the fall leaves as well as tips for finding the balance for fallen leaves in the garden and landscape. To hear more on those thoughts, stay right here for more on the Sunshine Gardening Podcast! 

Guest's References:

Backyard Ecology website: https://www.backyardecology.net/

Shannon's blog article about leaving the leaves: https://www.backyardecology.net/leave-your-fall-leaves-for-pollinators-and-wildlife/

Most popular podcast episodes for Backyard Ecology that was mentioned in today's show on Leave the Fall Leaves, episode 23.

• Gardening with Native Plants
• https://www.backyardecology.net/gardening-with-native-plants/
• Learning to See and Identify Plants with Alan Weakley
• https://www.backyardecology.net/learning-to-see-and-identify-plants-with-alan-weakley/
• Ecology Based Landscaping with Larry Weaner
• https://www.backyardecology.net/ecology-based-landscaping-with-larry-weaner/
• The Christmas Bird Count: An Over 120 Year Tradition
• https://www.backyardecology.net/the-christmas-bird-count-an-over-120-year-tradition/
• Birding Tools and Technology to Help You Be a Better Birder
• https://www.backyardecology.net/birding-tools-and-technology-to-help-you-be-a-better-birder/
• Winter Hummingbirds in the Eastern U.S.
• https://www.backyardecology.net/winter-hummingbirds-in-the-eastern-u-s/

The FloraQuest: Northern Tier app I mentioned: https://ncbg.unc.edu/research/unc-herbarium/flora-apps/