Hi everyone~~There are lots of new people here, and I think it would be helpful for us to discuss what we do with our gardens in the winter. I know it took me a while to put 2 and 2 together--that the butterflies I was seeing in my yard didn't migrate away (like Monarchs) or recolonize every year (like American Ladies).

They were in the garden or meadows nearby during the winter either as caterpillars or pupae. I used to do the typical clear everything out and same thing in the spring.

Now I do things differently. I do minimal fall clean-up. The only thing I might do now is to cut down Mexican sunflowers that have been toppled over by some storms, but instead of chucking them out into compost, I will leave most of the stems in the garden. I will cut them into smaller lengths and then put some piles around to degrade and to be a natural" bug hotel"; as the stems become hollow, some species of native bees will use them as a nesting site.

Other native bees might be nesting in the soil, and bumblebee queens often overwinter in leaf debris too or the top bit of soil.

Other than trim the sunflowers which are leaning into my neighbors year, I will leave everything else standing. I do not get any crazy outbreak of disease or "pests."

Why? During the fall, winter, birds find my garden and are able to get seeds to eat. During the spring/fall migration, they find plenty of insects to eat. Thrushes will spend a few days in my yard turning over the leaf litter looking for insects. Yes, there could be butterfly caterpillars, but they are probably finding other caterpillars as well, even "pests."

I do not have a huge build up of thatch, leaves, etc in my garden. Through leaving everything, the much under-appreciated soil organisms have something to eat (break down): all that organic matter. By summer, my soil is in need of some mulch in some areas; I try to use tree leaves when possible.

Soil is healthier and again those soil critters provide food for birds too. Soil is a living thing and does a lot of good for us.

Soil organisms do a lot for us: feed the plants, control PH, increase water porosity, then hang onto moisture during drought, fight soil pathogens and pests, clean the air and the water. (Good books to learn about soil: Teaming with Microbes and another Life in the Soil--you will be amazed with what's in there!)

We often have host plants for butterflies in our gardens and may not even know it. Many butterflies overwinter as caterpillars, some tiny instars, some a little older, and some as pupae.

There are tons of good reasons not to clean up. Most beneficial insects overwinter, and if you allow them to stay in your garden, you will boost those populations.

Appreciate those colors of your plants letting go of summer, appreciate the beauty of the browns, yellows, reds, purples, and the seed heads, and stems sticking up through the snow.