Those piles of crunchy leaves covering your yard may look like a fall chore, but Mother Nature has actually packed them with nutrients your yard can use.

Instead of bagging up every leaf, let some of that natural recycling happen right in your backyard.

Start with your lawn

You don’t need to rake everything off the grass. Instead, run your lawnmower over them a few times, chopping the leaves into tiny pieces.

Those pieces break down quickly, feeding soil microbes and returning nutrients to the grass.

(MORE: 4 fall home tasks that actually matter)

Just don’t let thick mats of whole leaves sit on your lawn. They can block sunlight, trap moisture and create conditions for fungal problems.

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What about garden beds?

Rake whole or shredded leaves around vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs.

That layer acts like a winter blanket, helping insulate roots from increasingly cold temperatures while holding moisture in the soil and slowing down spring weeds.

It can even help protect soil from erosion when winter rain arrives.

(MORE: Why is my yard full of mushrooms?)

Good for wildlife, too

Leaving a few deep piles in an out-of-the-way corner gives insects like queen bees, butterflies, moths and beetles a place to survive the winter.

Those insects then become an important food source for birds.

(MORE: Keep these 3 things by your front door this winter)

You can also toss shredded leaves into your compost pile. They’re rich in carbon, making them an ideal “brown” material to balance food scraps, coffee grounds and grass clippings.

So before you haul every leaf to the curb this fall, remember: The weather may be dropping them in your yard for a reason.