We have a juvenile magnolia growing in front of our house that’s been something of a struggler for as long as I’ve lived here. Its leaves are always kind of wilty and the past several years its bloom production has been smaller than that witnessed in other trees its size.

Last year however, in conjuntion with our next-door neighbor we ripped out the ivy that blanketed the parkway fronting both our houses and in its place laid down a bed of river rocks, and the magnolia’s much happier to have the place  all to itself, because its looking healthier and this year the blooms have been off the hook.

I know the fig-eaters (aka green June beetles; not to be confused with June bugs), such as this one I found this morning snacking on a brand new blossom, totally agree (click to ginormify):

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