- by Grey County Master Gardeners

It’s that time of year again – when the snow and ice are gone and we see our struggling grass and our gardens covered with dead leaves. The urge to go outside and DO SOMETHING is almost irresistible. That urge is totally understandable, especially after a long and particularly stressful winter.

So, lets go outside and enjoy the birds and the fresh air and the snowdrops blooming.

Just resist the urge to tidy up, don't rake.

Those messy gardens of ours are right now teaming with life – the insect world is waking up. Many insects have wintered over in the protection of the leaves and other debris. Others are going to be emerging from their underground burrows very soon. They all need the protection of the dead leaves and twigs that winter has left behind.

They also need the food. Pupating insects come out hungry! They will consume the leaves and in return deposit a rich supply of nutrients into our soil that will make our chosen plants be healthier.

It sounds like a win-win doesn’t it? But some people will say – why do we want to support pupating insects when the adults then turn around and chew on our growing plants? The answer is that very few of these insects actually do that. Most of these insects grow into important pollinators for our plants, and some also become food for other creatures – especially birds.

Have you noticed any birds walking around your garden beds, pecking the ground as they go? They are searching for food. There will be seed on the ground that has laid there under the snow – and is a perfectly good meal for a bird. They are also finding small insects. As birds gear up for the breeding season that is coming soon, the protein supplied by these insects is invaluable.

A couple of springs ago I was “tidying up” my back yard and I woke up a Bumble Bee. He had been sleeping peacefully until I showed up. Bumble bees can’t move their wings when it’s too cold so he immediately set out to look for some food – on foot. Watching a bumble bee clamber over plants to get to a blooming scilla was quite education enough for me. If I want bumble bees in my garden and in the world at large – I need to let them hibernate.

Insect populations around the world are declining at rapid rates. We are losing species and we are losing total numbers. Insects are essential for the health of every eco-system on earth. Loss of insects would lead to a collapse of our ecosystems as we know them. I know this sounds dire – but I am not overstating it. We need to do everything we can to protect and support as wide a variety of insects as we can.