Japanese Beetles are the biggest pest in this yard. After a mild winter, these bugs come out of the ground in force. The plants they like the most seem to be the willow shrubs, mountain ash, and some small volunteer elm trees. I used to have some fireweed in the pollinator garden. But it attracted so many of these beetles that I decided to get rid of it. I also see a few on the oak.

I originally planned to plant pin cherry and choke cherry trees. But I think they would just be a japanese beetle headquarters every summer.

But it's not all bad. Although I needed to rethink my plant list, it forced me to dig a little deeper into the list of alternatives. I think the new plant list will be more diverse and probably better in the long run.