I’ve never thought that Robert Frost’s phrase “fences make good neighbors” from his 1914 poem “Mending Wall” is insulting.

Fences don’t have to come with a security code or razor wire. Fences can be simplistic as in a hedgerow or garden. Indeed, people can put up a barrier or be borderless. I enjoyed my trees, fences, and gardens until something decided to eat my boundary plants.

Though we have manufactured fences surrounding our property, they wouldn’t be able to deter a determined man or woman set on scaling said fence. We also use a variety of plants to provide shade and privacy as deemed necessary. The deer ignore the barrier and walk to the garden via the wraparound porch. Sometimes the neighbors do as well. I consider it friendly. It seems that some of our fences are merely a suggestion.

Lately, my buffer has been under attack by the Dogwood sawfly larvae, not the wasp-like creature itself. That insect violated my dogwood bushes and left its offspring to fend for themselves. We usually come to a truce. I let the larvae feed on some of the dogwood leaves, and they let the birds eat them. Since there is only one generation per season, I’m not sure they truly understand the terms.

This year is different. The squirmy little creatures have decided there is some truth regarding safety in numbers. Most of my red-twig dogwood is along the perimeter of the property. They provide a partial dog corral, some shade and are deer resistant. The birds happily congregate on the red branches eating berries and insects. Until a few days ago, it was a garden utopia. To my surprise, we now have a clear view of the street. There are no longer healthy bushes but straggly defoliated branches. The front yard dogwood is now a few dead sticks in the ground, while the other bushes are covered in the white fuzzy worms.

The sawfly isn’t an invasive species; it’s a nuisance I remind myself that the insect and its offspring are a food source because I want to damage them like they’ve damaged my plants. I won’t use poison since it will affect all the other levels of the food chain. I quickly pick the worms off the bushes or shake them off the tallest branches. I can’t get rid of all of them, but I can balance the numbers. It’s good to know that not all invaders are invasive. I can maintain balance while keeping my plants alive. Perhaps next year, we’ll even have a boundary. For now, I’ll just wave the neighbors through the brush instead of around it.