Results/Conclusions Over a two-year period, litter decaying in the urban, Stranahan Arboretum showed rapid loss of soluble compounds but little evidence of a faster relative loss of holocellulose than lignin. EEA showed a seasonal pattern more strongly related to litter moisture than litter chemistry. Spring flooding of the study site and a dense population of exotic earthworms (Amynthas agrestis) may have affected decay at the Arboretum, i.e., urease activities were very high in litter at this location. In contrast, litter decaying in the rural, Oak Openings Metropark showed expected patterns of change in litter chemistry, with holocellulose decaying more rapidly than lignin. However, EEA was strongly related to litter nitrate concentration, rather than carbon chemistry. At both sites the ratio of carbon to nutrient acquiring enzyme activities behaved roughly as expected with a general increase in relative carbon-acquiring enzyme activities with progressive decay, i.e., increasing litter recalcitrance. Enzyme activity ratios suggested that the Arboretum site was more likely limited by carbon, and perhaps phosphorus, whereas the Oak Openings site was more limited by nitrogen availability. These results add to a growing body of literature suggesting that the current conceptual model for leaf litter decomposition may not be adequate to address patterns of decay in more natural mixes of leaf litter in many ecosystems.