Autumn is upon us, and that might mean the leaves in your yard are starting to change color and fall. But if you were planning to add raking the yard and bagging up leaves to your weekend to-do list, think again. Leaving at least some of the leaves in your yard can help fertilize your grass and other plants, provide shelter for animals and even reduce emissions from landfills. “The leaves fall around the root zone of these plants, where they do things like suppress weeds or other plants from growing that would otherwise compete with the trees and the shrubs,” says David Mizejewski, a naturalist at the National Wildlife Federation, told USA TODAY. Landfills in 2018 received about 10.5 million tons of yard clippings, including leaves, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. Mizejewski said leaves and other organic matter sent to landfills can break down and form methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.