They grow. They turn brilliant colors. They capture our hearts. Then they make a mess. Leaves can be a hassle, but put the rake down for a moment. It turns out, leaving the leaves in your yard is beneficial to both wildlife and the environment. Here are a few excuses to avoid garden cleanup.

1. Provide Habitat for Wildlife

Salamanders, frogs, toads, box turtles, invertebrates and a number of other species rely on leaf litter. The leaves provide cover and nest materials for many species. Some animals are just too shy for heavily landscaped gardens.

2. Provide Nutrients for Organisms

Catering to the leaf litter helps maintain a healthy ecosystem in your yard. “Every resident of the leaf litter—or visitor to it—is connected to the food web in some way,” says Elizabeth Johnson, a program manager with the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. Birds will also feed on the seed heads and stalks of native flowers through winter.

3. Reduce Waste

Yard debris are taken to a landfill and dumped, where layers of waste stall the process of decomposition. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that in 2011, yard trimmings accounted for 13.5% of solid waste (approximately 33 million tons). Don’t let your leaves be wasted, they have critical benefits to wildlife and your garden.

4. Increase Fertility of Your Soil

As plant material decomposes, nutrients are added to your soil. Composting and leaf mold piles allow for even more nutrients to develop, which can then be added to your garden. Leaving leaves also allows for greater water retention.

5. Reduce Pollution

Leaf blowers pollute. The trucks that haul yard debris pollute. The fertilizers used in place of natural nutrients pollute. The eco-friendly methods to dispose of your Autumn leaves, however, will eliminate these sources of pollution. Laziness never felt so good.

6. Save Time

Imagine all the time you’ll save by not having to clear all the leaves from your yard. That time could be spent on other projects, like building an amphibian house, to still get active and relax outdoors. You don’t have to ditch the rake completely, you can use it to move leaves onto your flower beds or onto a compost or leaf mold pile.

How to Leave the Leaves

There is more than one way to ecologically handle leaves and other yard debris. Here are a few: