Are you growing pumpkins this year? Watermelon? Squash? Any type of large vining edible?
Have you looked inside the flowers?
That picture up there? That is a female flower. The one below is a male. See the difference? She's loaded inside while he is kind of a single long stamen.
Each vine produces a bunch of males before it even wastes time setting the precious female flower and the real surprise of that female is actually outside the petals.
Have you ever looked behind the flowers? Females have a little mini pumpkin or squash that when fertilized, grows huge and orange (or green or blue or white) and ripens to a perfectly roastable, carveable, edible fruit.
Can you identify the males and the females? Do you see the baby fruits developing? Pretty fascinating, don't you think?
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Author Chris Link - Published 1-31-2022 |