A homeowner was hoping to keep a garden visitor safe after learning their neighbor intended to use pesticides that can spread beyond their intended target.
In the r/NativePlantGardening subreddit, the original poster shared a beautiful photo of their garden with a monarch butterfly resting on a plant. "This lovely lady has been flitting around my garden, finding and laying eggs on all the Swamp Milkweed plants (both flowering and too immature to flower)," they wrote in the caption.
However, danger was looming. "Tomorrow my neighbor's lawn company is coming to spray poison all over their yard," they wrote. "I'm hoping these eggs survive the potential overspray."
Their concern was a valid one, as monarch butterfly populations have been under threat for years, so much so that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed designating them as threatened with extinction, per The Washington Post. The top factors impacting their survival are the rising global temperature, habitat destruction, and pesticides.
Monarchs, along with other butterfly and insect species, are also pollinators, an integral part of the life cycle of plants, making any loss a severe threat to ecosystems and the food supply. Keeping them alive and providing food and habitat for them is vital work. Like the gardener in the post, you can opt for native plants and other species that encourage pollinators to visit your yard.
Redditors offered plenty of suggestions to the worried homeowner about protecting their plants and dissuading their neighbor from allowing the chemicals to wind up in their lawn.
"I would cover with plastic if I knew that was happening. Don't depend on their competence," one person wrote.
Another suggested making the company aware they didn't want any pesticides sprayed their way, writing: "If you can quickly throw some handwritten signs up, too, to tell them to stay clear of your property, it might help - that's what I do every time our town decides to blanket everything in pesticide each summer. It seems to work."
Others advised going the legal route.
🗣️ Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools?
🔘 No way 🙅
🔘 Definitely 💯
🔘 Only certain tools 🤔
🔘 I don't know 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"I'd tell the neighbor if anything in the yard gets sprayed or contaminated with drift you will sue them to replace all the topsoil in your yard," a Redditor said.
Communication can be key when dealing with neighbors who may be impeding climate-friendly solutions for your home. One beekeeper faced a person using a deadly chemical on weeds, and a homeowner wondered about a wannabe arborist who decided to hack away at tree limbs without any thought.
Make your concerns known, without judgement, as a start, and document any incidents. If needed, reach out to authorities to mediate disputes.
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