We returned from the winter holidays to find a blanket of snow on the ground, which highlights the way the leaf weir has changed the topography. Walking across it feels like solid ground.
The weir is largely made of maple, which should decay slowly enough that plantings will have time to put down roots before the whole thing gives way and slides down the hill.
The gutter below the weir has been dry even as the snow has started melting. All of that water is going into the leaf weir and into the ground, rather than cascading downhill.