maize whith a side of asparagus

the third tiller on the largest of the hopi blue plants on campus ( first photo )has reached about two feet in height and, as far as i can see, is attempting to produce an ear of corn ( second photo )...reproductive frenzy has been a leitmotif for this season so far and i suspect it will continue into autumn as the brussels sprouts and the cowpeas come into their own...the maize doesn't seem to be done yet for that matter...the smallest hopi blue ( planted in mid june ) is flowering...it's only a couple of feet tall so it re,mains to be seen if it will successfully produce any seed...ants have taken up residence on th e maize, much like they do on the cowpeas, feeding on sugars that the plant produces...they play a minor role in pollination in the cowepea universe and i believe ( and certainly hope ) that they play a similar role where maize is concerned...interestingly ( but not shown due to the five photo upload limitation blogger has ) a different species of much smaller ants have moved onto the maize plant right next door...( i see more research coming )...not to leave the asparagus out the last photo is of some asparagus blooms on a late comer to the reproduction follies...other plants have ripening "berries" but this one has left it late in the season...we'll see how well it gets on with the quest.