zea events

a quiet day out back doesn't mean the season isn't moving along...it is doing what seasons do and the plants are moving along, minding their business...and, for today at least, with no drama...this stand of maize...

three of the dozen or so plants are flowering...so there should be ears soon enough...

each of the branches on this teosinte plant has flowered or is producing its own bloom...

it has ears and seeds that are becoming more pronounced...

and the presence of many more silks tell me the ear and seed populations will be growing...which pleases me...

this teosinte plant has flowered with no visible signs of silks,ears, or seeds as yet...

it appears, however, to be hosting a herd of aphids and their any herders...the growers of teosinte in it s native range plant it along the margins of their maize fields because they say the presence of the wild and weedy ancestor makes their maize "stronger"...they also chew the green seeds for their sweet juices and the aphids seem to be doing the same along the leaves...

finally, this maize plant has no flowers, silks, or ears...

but i did find one of the girls taking a break on one of its broad leaves...she sat for a bit while i unabashedly clicked away at the shutter...and then...just before she lost patience and flew off..she raised a leg in my direction...valediction? or some other sort of gesture? who knows...the bee is the only one sure.