You should get some monkeys and some macaws. You could turn it into your own little rainforest.
I was watching some show over the weekend of those snow monkeys in Japan. They just sit there all day grooming each other. Sitting in a hot spring. Not a bad gig.
I was doing a little research (my wife has cockatiels). I guess down in S Florida there are some pockets of “wild” macaws, conures, etc. Look out at the bird feeder and see a blug and gold macaw squawking…
There are some pockets of wild parrots along the San Diego County coast. Thank goodness they’re not here – they devour fruit faster than a pack of squirrels.
There are plenty of them in nearby neighborhoods but they do not enter my yard, mainly because I do not leave any place for them to hide from predators – of which there are plenty.
Bananas are not left to ripen on the plant, but rather harvested when one or two fingers are sufficiently ripe. Then the entire bunch is cut off and hung indoors to ripen – for example in the garage. Consequently there is little if any pest damage.
Now with Orioles … as you know they weave their nests. When the local Orioles discover banana leaves they are so happy … fluttering about, chatting about them, and carefully pulling thread-diameter fibers off the leaves. At my previous home one couple was so excited they built a condominium by tying a 3-ft leaf long ways, creating little chambers and a hidden entrance. The amount of damage is minimal. I’ve sometimes noticed them pecking at the upper fruits but only leaving pock marks because the skins are so tough at that stage.
Won’t be a problem around here! These have a sub-acid quality, as if there’s a bit of nectarine flavor. Everyone loves them. Should be fully ripe in a day or two.
That would be true for store-bought “chichita” brand bananas, which are harvested unripe and then gassed in the hull of a boat to simulate ripening. However, if you were to taste one of these bananas in my photo you’d find it under-ripe.