The Nature of Phenology 9/22/18

Producers/Hosts: Hazel Stark and Joe Horn

Wild Cucumber

Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com

An unusual plant caught my eye as it climbed, twined, and draped across the rough forest edge while dangling its kiwi-sized fruits covered in weak spines. I cut a sample and brought it to my professor’s office. “What’s this?” I asked while tossing the cut specimen limply upon her desk. I’m not sure if her answer was truthfully ignorant or if she was feigning naïveté to encourage my own self-discovered learning, but with an air of certainty she said, “I have no idea, but it is certainly a cucurbit!”

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