Thanks again, guys! I went out after it stopped raining and took away the wire and the mulch. Here's a pic of one sunny bed that was piled high with leaves... they were up all along!
And looking a little yellowed in part from being without light. So I'm glad I took it all away. In the beds where I planted 2nd year from rounds it is still cold and they're not up, but it was really wet ground under those leaves, so high time to dry them out a bit too.