Pumpkin Flower

_DSC7050 nx 72dpi, originally uploaded by Donnie Fulks.

The pumpkin fields are a sea of green leaves. In the morning the bright yellow flowers open for a few brief hours, beckoning the bees for pollination. This is a male flower. The female flowers grow closer to the vines and usually found near the ground. Each flower is open only one day, early in the morning and by late morning the flower closed for good. Our pumpkins are pollinated primarily by wild squash bees and bumblebees.

It has been a very busy summer so far on the farm. July was the hottest month ever recorded in our area and with little rain here we irrigated a number of times to keep the crop growing. The pumpkins are setting pumpkins now and the little pumpkins are growing rapidly. So far, so good.