Home made leaf litter

[Alexisr.17]

Hello all!
So I've been wanting to forage my own leaf litter because sadly shipping from the USA is super expensive!
I was wondering about some things that I have in our yard!
Such as crab apple leaves/bark? We've had it for years and os pesticide free! Also, what about rose leaves and or dandelion greens?
Thank you!

[curlysister]

Hello, fellow Canadian here!
I feed lots of fresh leaves and flowers in the summer, and dry them for winter. I don't have a dehydrator, so put a shallow box (like from a flat of canned pet food etc) on the dash of my car. A couple of really warm days, and leaves and flowers are dried perfectly! I then store them in a zip loc in the freezer for winter.
Some things I can think of right off the top of my head.... leaves from oak, poplar, maple, ash, lilac, rose bushes, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, chard, strawberries, raspberries, dandelions, thistles. Flowers from marigolds, lilacs, apples, cherries, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, berries, lily of the valley, sunflowers, petunias, rose petals.
There is probably more that I am forgetting too!

[Alexisr.17]

Thank you very much!
Do you have any idea if crab apple leaves/branches/bark is safe for them? I have one I'm my back yard and would love to give them even more variety!
Or even leaves from a tree that gives baby pears?
(It's a dwarf clapper pear tree I believe!)

[curlysister]

I know that apple trees tend to hold onto pesticides etc in the wood, so using the branches isn't recommended (I presume bark would be the same). But you could feed the leaves, flowers, and of course the fruit.
I'm not sure about the wood from pear trees - but presume the leaves, flowers and the fruit would be fine too.

[sophie_rice]

My crabs love homemade leaf litter!! The list curlysister gave above is very helpful to us too, thank you so much!! I will definitely be expanding the menu this year