this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2026
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The agreement with wildlife (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 weeks ago by DokPsy@lemmy.world to c/gardening@lemmy.world
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It's the time of year again when I find my citrus plants covered in wiggling bird poop. The caterpillar form of the swallowtail butterfly is extra fond of citrus plants and they make a point to have their first point of life in my garden. I have a rule that I make plain to the little critters: you can stay if you don't eat too many leaves. Eat too much and you get evicted. It does no good for them if the plant dies.

It got me thinking: where do others sit on the scale of "magazine perfect lawn piece" to "it's less garden and more forest area I found to live in"?

Do you have everything where the animals can't get to them or are you fighting the birds for the perfect ripeness of a fig?

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[–] DokPsy@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Oh, this is not the first time for them. I've had one citrus die between summer survival time and too greedy caterpillars so I try to keep a balance between the two. I appreciate being considered a safe space for them to grow. Next is a little area for monarchs and others to enjoy a stay