The Sacrificial Citrus
In the fall of 2019, we planted a Myer lemon tree. It fruited throughout the winter, producing the biggest, juiciest lemons we’d ever seen. It helped soothe ailments as the shining star ingredient in my honey lemon tea. It kept us healthy through spring of 2020. Never to fruit again.
We have no idea why it stopped bearing fruit, but we were so grateful for the season it did. Looking back, I like to think those lemons played a small part in helping our family stay healthy through the uncertainty of the pandemic.
Fast forward to spring 2026, we decided to give a lemon tree a try again.
Our new lemon tree arrived with a small canopy of lush green leaves. Over the following weeks, I checked it daily for signs of blooms. If you’ve ever caught a waft of citrus blossoms, you know what a beautiful, light fragrance it is.
But my daily inspection yielded no sign of blossoms. Instead, it was starting to look like someone had taken a hole punch to every leaf. As I leaned in for a closer look, I spotted what I first assumed was animal droppings. Then it moved. As I looked closer, I imagined it had eyes. A tiny creature seemed to stare right back at me. Of course, I did what every good garden harbinger would do. I called my husband. Without hesitation, he gently touched its torso, and a bumpy head reared up revealing a bright red forked organ that released a strong odor. What we found was a pair of swallowtail caterpillars.
The decision to extinguish these caterpillars was quickly overruled, knowing that they would turn into beautiful swallowtail butterflies. The problem was that the lemon tree was still a sapling. Leaving them on the tree wasn’t an option. They would devour the leaves that the young lemon tree needed to grow. The only other option was relocation.
Enter the sacrificial citrus.
The sacrificial citrus is a plant in the garden with the sole purpose of becoming a meal for critters such as these caterpillars. By clipping the leaf where they were resting and transporting it to the sacrificial citrus, these caterpillars have a chance at transforming into their purpose as a brilliant beautiful butterfly. This citrus plant may never produce perfect fruit. It may never become the showpiece of the garden. Its purpose is to give; to provide; to sustain life until its residents are ready to fly.
Much like parenting. Our children are those swallowtail caterpillars. Hungry, growing, consuming resources and sometimes emitting strong odors. But if we remain patient, present and available to nurture and guide them, something remarkable happens. Little by little they transform into this amazing person ready to spread their wings and take flight.
While the world celebrates the beauty and brilliance of the butterfly, parents quietly understand the role of the sacrificial citrus. We know the cost. And we’d do it all again.
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25
