viticulture 101 ( or you can learn something every day if you pay attention )

it's a warm june day ( eighties, fahrenheit ) and the alfalfa is bloming ( and i have leaf cutter bee cocoons due in a couple of weeks...well timed )...

the bees have discovered the bittersweet nightshade blooms...

and they continue to mug the winter vetch...

what looks , at the moment at least, like a bumper crop of concord grapes continues to expand the blooming process...and, a few feet along the south side...

so are the seedless grapes...the venerable concord vines have wended their way through the elm and fir trees at the end of the patio, much like they way the ancient ( and modern, for all i know ) greeks grew vines through the natural trellises of olive trees...i planted the seedless vines in 2016 and this is the first hint fo production they have shown...i have seen concord blooms but hadn't actually thought a seedless grape would bloom...so much for my insights into viticulture...turns out ( per cornell university ) that seedless grapes do bloom, are fertile, and the seeds abort...and it is a wholly natural process discovered by viticulturalists long ago...the vines are propagated through cuttings rather than seed...a lot like other seedless fruits...none of which i have, or likely will have, any experience with...so my seedless grapes are blooming, i have more information and, if things work out well, there will be two varieties to harvest later this season