I wonder what about this plant attracts Japanese Beetles. As my wife and I walked along Georgia Street, in our San Diego neighborhood, my motion stopped and head turned in response to distinctly familiar buzzing. I knew which Coleoptera that was.
But where I expected to see one Japanese Beetle, there were several. Two are visible in the Featured Image—captured using Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/2500 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 8:56 a.m. PDT, today.
Unrelated, but noteworthy: The property where once lived Lupe and Laramie is for sale, and an Open House is underway this weekend. The bonded pair, which both appear in my “Cats of University Heights” series, were abandoned before the place was sold; in 2019, for $525,000. The new owner later added a so-called Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), replacing the backyard. Current asking price: $2,499,000—and that’s unprecedented for the location.
Say, can I interest you in an estimated monthly mortgage payment—adding insurance and taxes—of $15,778? Maybe some cash buyer will scoop up the place, which is being pitched as a “turnkey rental income property”. Well, there are three rentable units; one in the house and two in the ADU. But who would pay five grand—and that’s times three—to live there? Got to cover the mortgage payment.
What does any of this have to do with Japanese Beetles? Nothing really, other than timing and location—same block on a parallel street. Oh, connecting all the dots: Lupe and Laramie spent about a year fostered before finally being adopted; together.