"Bill McKee" wrote in message
...
| I'm wildscaping my San Antonio/Hill Country backyard with native,
| critter-friendly plants. A neighbor's loquat has escaped and
| volunteered, and is now about two feet tall. I'm wondering:
| 1) What Texas wildlife will eat loquat: sqirrels, possum and/or
| racoon?
| 2) I hear the bees love loquat, but do the butterflies?
| 3) These are growing in the shade: do they need to be in the sun to
| flower and fruit?
| Many thanks,
| Bill

Raccoons and possums will eat loquats; so will various birds. The
honeybees do love the flowers, which have quite a strong scent. We
have them growing in the shade. Whether or not they produce fruit
depends on when and whether there are winter frosts. Some people prune
them so that they stay quite low in height. Dropped and partially
eaten fruit becomes quite fermented.