Squash Blossoms

When I was watering in the kitchen garden tonight, I noticed the first few open squash blossoms. Both the "Guatemalan Blue Banana" plant, pictured above, and the "Delicata" pictured blow, have open male flowers today. I have always particularly admired the pretty star-shaped "Delicata" blooms.

It will be a while before I start getting any fruit set. As I studied the vines tonight, I found tiny, immature squash on both the "Butternut" squash, below, and on the "Guatemalan Blue Banana" squash, above. It will be a few weeks before the female flowers on the vines bloom. But until then, the open male flowers will start to attract bees to the area. Then, when the female flowers finally do open, there should be a good population of pollinators available.