be not blown about as a leaf on the wind

Leaf blowing leaves is a common practice, but does it cause a risk for more ticks? Credit: Penn StateĪ recent study, Artificial Accumulation of Leaf Litter in Forest Edges on Residential Properties via Leaf Blowing Is Associated with Increased Numbers of Host-Seeking Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) Nymphs published in the Journal of Medical Entomology showed that when leaves where raked or blown along forest margins, blacklegged tick nymph populations tripled compared to areas where leaves were not artificially accumulated. Today we’re focusing on the tick-leaf connection. But we’re not going to delve into that debate today. On the other hand, too many leaves can smother lawns and provide habitat for damaging diseases. On one hand, leaves can provide a natural mulch for the landscape, breaking down to provide organic matter and nutrients to soil, and provide habitat for native beneficial insects and arachnids. Leaf peeping drives, apple picking, pumpkin-spice everything, and the annual argument of what to do with those leaves falling on your yard. – John Burroughs, The Falling Leaves, Under the Maples 2020 I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report for New York State October 7-13, 2020Īh, autumn.

Once more in our morning walk we tread upon carpets of gold and crimson, of brown and bronze, woven by the winds or the rains out of these delicate textures while we slept. The time of the falling leaves has come again.

Be not blown about as a leaf on the wind