By: Marikay Shellman
BPW Colorado Virtual Chair, NFBPWC Environment and Sustainable Development Committee (2022-2024)

Simple Act: “Do a whole lot of nothing”

I was amused to read this headline: “Don’t you dare rake your leaves this fall.” by Dana Milbank, author who typically writes satirical political articles.  A recent transplant to country living, he was perplexed to find few pesky bugs bothering him.  After spending years trying to destroy the bug populations in his city yard- citronella tiki torches, garlic-based repellents, fogging screened in porches, & resorting to chemical insecticides- he learned from entomologists that cities & suburbs, due to abundant use of insecticides & destruction of habitat, have created “insect wastelands.”  In the country (& wilderness) the eco-system is in better balance with birds & frogs, snakes, fish & spiders keeping insect pests in check.  “The problem isn’t that we have too many bugs in cities & suburbs: the problem is that we don’t have nearly enough.  We’ve been so successful at vanquishing the little critters that the entire insect world is in big trouble…”   The insect population is declining by 1-2% per year leading to the loss of 1/3 of the insect population by 2040 according to Scott Black of Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.  Our entire food chain is dependent upon insects for crop pollination.  We are already seeing the decline of bird & mammal populations.  

• Allow your lawn to be shaggy, leaving it at least 4” high for overwintering.  Cutting your lawn too low in the fall weakens the grass and makes it vulnerable to dry and cold weather.

• Don’t rake & bag your leaves, allow them to nourish the soil as they decompose and help protect your lawn & shrubs from harsh winter & spring conditions.  Leaves provide habitat for insects.

• Don’t cut back your perennials or deadhead your flowers.  Not only will the stems provide nesting for insects, perennials have more resiliency when their stems are left to overwinter.  

• Don’t use pesticides which include fertilizers.  Pesticides kill beneficial insects, one key example being caterpillars which are an essential protein for many birds.  Many pesticides are approved by the EPA despite the harm they pose to insects.  Testing occurs only using the European honeybee, not the more sensitive native bee, butterflies, moths, lightening bugs, or other invertebrates.  The combination of chemicals used in the “real world” can be much more toxic.  

• Turn off exterior lights at night.  

So do a whole lot of nothing & allow your yard to be shaggy.  You’ll be helping out a whole lot of insects.