You've probably heard the expression "leave the leaves," but you may not know the why behind the saying. Keep reading to learn 9 reasons why its a great idea!

Changing Leaves Create Stunning Visuals Across Indiana & Kentucky

The changing leaves across Indiana and Kentucky create a beautiful visual landscape worthy of photos and road trips, but they can also be quite the headache, especially if you happen to have trees near your home.

READ MORE: 3 Indiana State Parks Among Best for Viewing Fall Foliage

Big Trees Can Mean Big Headaches Especially in the Fall

I have two beautiful, mature trees in my front yard - one of them is a pink dogwood that in the fall turns the most fiery shades of red and orange. Then there are massive maple trees, one in my backyard and one near the property line in my neighbors backyard. Based on their size, they are very likely close to 100 years old.

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Leaves on the Ground and In My Gutters

Needless to say, I end up with a lot of leaves on the ground and in my gutters when fall arrives. In fact, the leaves can get more than ankle deep! So what do I do with them? Your first reaction might be to recommend that I bag them up for the city's leaf collection program, but there are some much better things I can do with them.

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Autumn Leaves Play an Important Part in Our Ecosystem

While they may seem like an inconvenience, those autumn leaves play an important part in the ecosystem around your home. It is actually best to just leave them alone, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Traditionally, leaf removal has entailed three steps: Rake leaves (or blast them with a blower) into piles, transfer the piles to bags and place the bags out to be hauled off to a landfill. Yet, increasingly, conservationists say these actions not only harm the environment but rob your garden of nutrients while destroying wildlife habitat. -NWF

How To Keep Leaf Litter Out of the Landfill

If you're wondering what you can do with them instead, especially if you have a ton of them like I do, keep reading to not only learn why you should leave the leaves, but what to do with them instead of sending them to the landfill.

9 Reasons to Leave the Leaves (and What To Do With Them!)

The autumn leaves are beautiful to look at but they can be a real headache when it comes to managing your property. Before you bag them up and send them to the landfill, read this to see why they are actually beneficial and what to do with them instead.

Gallery Credit: Kat Mykals

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