Bark Mulch vs. Leaves in the Snow
We have had an extreme winter of sorts. Extremely cold one day and then 50 degrees a day or two later. I remember reading as a geography student in undergrad (McGill) about how the surface temperature under a meter of snow hovers just below 0 C (32 F), even during extreme weather. It seems counter intuitive, but snow is a fantastic insulator. But with climate change we can no longer expect to have a protective layer of snow over the garden to keep the beneficial insects sheltered.... Fortunately, the solution is all around us here in Portsmouth. If we use leaves as mulch, it creates a form of shelter to trap the heat in the ground and help insects that over-winter escape the hard frost and rapid changes that come with climate instability. Take a look at this picture of an area covered with leaf mulch vs. traditional bark mulch. The bark mulch is basically barren and lifeless. To me, knowing that the bark mulch is actually dyed makes it even worse. It is meant to look like