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It’s a cold and dreary November day and those flashing insects that lit up my yard in July are long gone. Or are they?

Lightning bugs or fireflies are still alive this time of year, and thanks to fallen leaves they will be flying again next summer.

Now they are spending their time as larvae in leaf litter, underground or in other protected places. Rake or mulch the leaves and the larvae get destroyed, and maybe you’ll see more snails and slugs next spring. That’s because firefly larvae eat those garden pests.

Luna moths are big beautiful green creatures that wow us in summer; now they are living as larvae in leaf litter, too.

That’s why the Xerces Society says, “Leaves are habitat, not trash.”

“A layer of leaves is vital insulation from th

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