teosinte takes a hit

i was on campus sunday and things were just fine...not so on tuesday...the teosinte on the south side of the garden sustained some significant damage...something ( the wind? critters? ) or someone ( vandals? the overtly clumsy? my asparagus has been mowed more than once over the years ) trampled down the zea diploperennis ( second photo ) and snapped off a stalk of the northern tepehuan ( third photo )...unfortunately it was the central stalk the was producing a flower ( fourth photo )...so no seeds this season...i am profoundly peeved ( also behaving myself vocabulary-wise ) about this...i loathe losing a plant and when it is among my favorites and a difficult one to establish i am doubly peeved...so i went back to my truck and retrieved some jute twine and some stakes with which i supported the wounded ( fourth photo ) in an effort to save what is left of their season...native seed search will see me ordering more teosinte seed this autumn to try again in 2013...i am bummed...i am also deeply obdurate...more maize and more teosinte next year...the top photo is of a diminished pgp a bit after five this evening...the bottom photo is of a somewhat less robust stand of teosinte...an exceptionally minor tragedy in the larger scope of things...a gardener's lament over events in microcosm...more on the fall harvest and planting as plants and root arrive