Leave the Leaves

Dear Martin,

Fall has arrived—which means leaves are changing color and beginning to fall to the ground. Did you know that leaving the leaves in your yard or garden not only saves you time and energy but also benefits wildlife?

Here are a few good reasons to put down the rake:
  • Provide habitat for wildlife: frogs, turtles and salamanders rely on fallen leaves to provide cover and hibernation places; many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring
  • Provide food for wildlife: creatures like earthworms and millipedes reside in and decompose leaf litter, and also are themselves a source of food for bigger wildlife like birds and toads
  • Increase fertility of your soil: as the leaves decompose, nutrients are added to your soil, and also allows for greater water retention
Certify »

When you certify your yard, you’ll join over 222,000 gardeners across America who provide safe places for wildlife like birds to thrive. Creating a wildlife habitat garden not only helps wildlife, it gives you a beautiful place to experience nature every day.

Certify your garden today!

Thank you for all you do for wildlife.

David Mizejewski Sincerely,

David Mizejewski
NWF Naturalist
P.S. Your $20 application fee will help further protect and restore key habitat for bees, butterflies, birds, amphibians and other wildlife nationwide. Plus, your certified garden will count toward meeting the goals of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, which will help support pollinators responsible for one third of our food supply.



Benefits of Certification

Garden flag


CERTIFY TODAY
- LIMITED TIME OFFER: The National Wildlife Federation winter flag, our FREE gift to you!*

- Personalized Certified Wildlife Habitat

- One year membership to NWF**

- One year subscription to National Wildlife magazine

- Monthly Garden for Wildlife e-newsletter

- 10% off the NWF catalog



Proudly Display Your Accomplishment
CWH Plaque
CERTIFY TODAY
Certified Wildlife Habitat® Plaque

Once you are certified, help neighbors (and wildlife!) easily recognize your yard as animal-friendly with this stylish sign.

Made from rust-free recycled cast aluminum, this durable 8"x14" sign is available for wall ($89) or lawn mounting ($99). When you certify, select the lawn or wall plaque bundle at checkout.