Don’t pick up and remove all of the fallen leaves, faded flowers, branches, brush, or other garden debris in autumn every year!
You maybe removing winter protection for butterflies.
Not all butterflies go south for the winter, some like the mourning cloak hibernate in winter.
The places for overwintering adult butterflies that don’t migrate south, will be perfectly
content until spring returns hiding between
the cracks of rocks you may have in your garden, or
in the crevices of old tree bark, sleeping inside a hollow log, or resting
in the eaves of
your house.
Think about it. You just might be raking and destroying the fertilized eggs of the next generation of Butterflies along with all of those leaves and debris.
Some species that overwinter as winged adults include:
Mourning Cloak
Dainty Sulphur
Cloudless Sulphur
Gulf Fritillary
Milbert’s Tortoiseshell
Painted, American, Ladies
Buckeye
Red Admiral