An autumnal dilemma

[Northern_Piper]

@purplehorseshoe

More serious answer: fallen leaves provide shelter and food for countless species of small and tiny critters, whose role in our ecosystems is unknown to most. Leave them be, sez I. They’re part of nature, sez I.

@Kropotkin

The ales have it.

You two have convinced me with your impeccable logic.

[Northern_Piper]

@AlsoNamedBort

M problem is that I’ve found decomposing leaves provide food for millions of swarming gnats that make my outdoor space unbearable.

We don’t have gnats in my neck of the woods. Even if we did, they will soon be covered in snow.

[Northern_Piper]

And the dilemma is resolved. The first blizzard of the winter has arrived, covering the leaves in snow.