The tiny baby bitter melon, native to more southern climes, has gotten a very late start this year. It needs to grow fast, while the summer heat lasts. The fruit will end up looking really lumpy and strange, but it's such great summer food, refreshingly bitter and medicinally cooling to the system. Hurry up and grow!
It is hard to imagine that the delicate stem of the flower will soon hold the weight of a zucchini-sized fruit.
The smaller pollinating bees are scarce this year. I am hoping that the Painted Lady butterfly, also a southerner from Okinawa, will emerge from the pupae stage soon.
There are a few bumblebees who visit the garden, but they are mostly interested in the sage flowers. Black Swallowtails visit daily, but drink mostly jasmine nectar with a touch of sage for desert.
Who is going to pollinate the bitter melon flowers?
No comments:
Post a Comment