Why You Should Not Rake Your Leaves

It's that time of year again where the leaves fall and the rake comes out. It's a chore that no one wants to spend their time doing... and now you don't have to.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, raking your leaves is not only bad for the environment but it also destroys wildlife habitats for small animals and also robs your garden of nutrients.

Leaves and other "yard debris" make up 33 million tons of solid waste a year. Without enough oxygen, man-made methane is released into the environment. If you're a gardener, leaves in your yard is a positive thing.

Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and fertilizes the soil as it breaks down. "

In addition, critters ranging from squirrels to turtles to butterflies rely on the leaves as shelter and food. So if you rake the leaves you're destroying their environment. You don't want to be responsible for something like that, now do you?!

So the next time someone asks you to rake the leaves tell them you can't because science said so.