It's a Pumpkin!

While I was vacationing by breathtaking Lake Erie, my garden was up to mischief.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Mother Nature's activity is hard to predict.  A gardener never knows what Mother Nature will bestow.

Here is the mystery summer squash that is actually a pumpkin.

 When I arrived back home, I had to survey the garden.  I found out I wrongly labeled the mystery plant.  Our summer squash turned out to be a pumpkin.   Timmy must have planned this.  He's always wanted to grow a pumpkin from a seed and now he's gotten his wish.

I located genuine summer squash in our garden.

 Much to my surprise, in the same vegetable garden, we have another summer squash plant.  Mike and I love summer squash.  Hopefully you have checked out Mike's recipe for summer squash and tasted some.  It's our new favorite dish this summer, by the way.

This cuke is growing outside the box, literally. 

 I also found a cucumber fruit growing outside the chicken wire which is our safety zone.  We have a plethora of rabbits living in the neighborhood.  The cuke has probably been growing for the last two weeks so maybe rabbits don't like them.  I won't try to protect it so we'll see if it survives to maturity.

We have been getting numerous grape tomatoes from the upside down tomato bucket.

 We have had no shortage of tomatoes since we've been back from vacation.  It's best part of summer.  Every other day, I have been able to go out my back door and pick tomatoes.  I've had grape, cherry and cherokee purple tomatoes.  I don't know if I have a favorite fruit right now.  I have to admit, the cherokee tomatoes have a juiciness that the grape and cherry tomatoes don't have.  Home grown tomatoes are the best!

This is Ben's lowly Rudbeckia that has survived bunny munching.

In the front yard we've had a couple of revelations.  The bunnies have been actively eating our hostas, violets, an ironweed plant and Ben's poor rudbeckia.  When I could, I would spray those plants with hot pepper wax to discourage the snacking.  Amazingly, Ben's black-eyed susan flowered after being chewed down to a couple of inches.  I can't believe how resolute plants are to stay alive and reproduce.

The mexican sunflowers are much loved by bees, butterflies and goldfinches.

The last wonderment I witnessed was the pair of mexican sunflower plants that have thrived in our front garden beds.  The bees and butterflies just love, love, love the plants.  One afternoon while reading a book, I counted twenty some visits by the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails.  I have seen both the yellow male and female along with the female dark morph.

I am so grateful to witness the changes that take place in a garden.  Nature has a sublime way to dazzle and delight anyone who observes it.  I hope you get a chance to marvel at your garden's changes this summer.