Author Christy Peterson has provided us with a good excuse NOT to rake up all the leaves in the yard! Skip the tidying, Christy advises. Left where they fall, leaves and dying vegetation provide habitat for birds. In rethinking fall clean-up, Christy writes,
Autumn seed heads provide food for birds. Photo courtesy Christy Peterson, October 2014.
My little corner of the earth is slipping towards its winter nap. Leaves are falling, flowers fading, and everything is looking just a bit unkempt. (More so than normal anyway – my garden has never quite achieved the opposite of unkempt!) Despite the ragged edges, I won’t be rushing out with clippers and rakes. That’s because the fallen leaves and ragged stems that look untidy to us are gold for backyard wildlife.
Read more at Christy Peterson’s blog, Cultivating Wonder.
Wedgwood in Seattle History 
I’ll let Michelle know you told me NOT to rake! 🙂 I love having a good reason though
I am not kidding, all those dead leaves are good for wildlife! However, you should rake leaves out of the storm drains on your street, to help prevent local flooding. So if you feel the urge to use the rake, get out there and clear the drains but do so safely: stay on the curb side and watch for cars.