Doylestown Borough wants residents to think twice before raking this fall.

The borough is promoting a "Leave the Leaves" initiative alongside its annual free leaf collection program. The effort encourages property owners to let fallen leaves stay in garden beds and around tree bases as winter shelter for bees, butterflies and moths, according to the borough's website.

Fallen leaves act as insulation for pollinators and other invertebrates that overwinter in or beneath leaf litter, the National Park Service has said. Bumble bees, sweat bees and mining bees dig into soil and rely on leaf cover for warmth.

Carpenter bees, mason bees and leafcutter bees nest inside hollow plant stems. Butterflies and moths overwinter as chrysalises, cocoons or eggs tucked among leaves and twigs, Patch reported.

But raking isn't off the table. Residents can move leaves into garden beds or around tree bases rather than bagging them. The key: avoid shredding leaves with a mower, which can destroy eggs, caterpillars and cocoons already sheltering inside.

Hollow stems and twigs may also harbor sleeping bees, so the borough suggests creating brush piles instead of burning or disposing of woody debris. Even leaving one untouched corner of a yard can help, the borough said.

The Xerces Society, a pollinator conservation group the borough links to for more information, recommends waiting until late spring to trim stems and clean up garden beds. That delay gives pollinators time to emerge before any spring cleaning begins.

The initiative runs alongside the borough's regular leaf collection schedule. Each of five service areas gets two free pickups between mid-October and mid-December, according to the borough's leaf collection page.

Residents who want curbside collection must place leaves only at the curb by Monday morning of their scheduled week. Sticks, branches, rocks and other debris are not allowed and can damage vacuum equipment, the borough said.

Missed pickups can be dropped off in bags at the borough facility at 300 Harvey Ave.

Upcoming leaf collection dates:

  • Area One: Nov. 16 (first pickup was Oct. 12)
  • Area Two: Oct. 19 and Nov. 23
  • Area Three: Oct. 26 and Nov. 30
  • Area Four: Nov. 2 and Dec. 7
  • Area Five: Nov. 9 and Dec. 14