Hi,

i need some advice about my front yard.

i have a ton of trees (probably at least 75-100 on our 2 acre piece of happy...all hardwoods (rare in Georgia). We have owls, hawks, tons of other birds, deer, teeny tiny penny size frogs in the summer, lots of different snakes and lizards and have even seen a beaver in the creek behind the house.

i want all of them to stay and be happy (animals and trees), BUT I hate the leaves everywhere. Since it's spring I decided to rake in front of the house near the sidewalk and the "grass" (re: weeds/moss) that was there when we moved in last summer is now mud from going all winter with leaves.

(last summer in picture) the green stuff is mostly broad leaf weeds.

I don't want grass in front of the house but I don't want leaves (I've read leaves near the house encourages termites). I don't own a lawn mower and don't want a "lawn" but I would be interested in some ground cover that will fill in the massive amount of red clay/soil that is lurking under the leaves. Something that the animals might like but that will still look pretty near the house. I guess is I knew the weeds there before I could just plant them LOL

also, I'm leaving the vast majority of leaf ground cover because I know many critters thrive in that.

any ideas? I just don't want a mud pit...