The Worm and the Beanstalk
I think I have a worm. Or maybe it is a canny, selective squirrel. The bush beans (beans can grow two ways – on a bushy plant that is low to the ground, or as runner beans or pole beans, on lengthy vines that need to be trellised) are ripe and ready to be picked. And eaten. Yum. This is one of my favorite times of the season. All that hard work of cultivating the soil with compost, organic fertilizer and other amendments, of planting the beans and laying and testing the water system, of keeping away critters and pests, of tending and nourishing the plants as they grow, finally pays off with those mouth-watering fruits. Yes, green beans are fruits. We think of them and eat them as vegetables, but the bean pod is actually the fruit of the plant.
Anyway, I have a worm. Or some other creature that is enjoying my green beans. At first I found the beans eaten in a peculiar fashion (see photo above), with the critter eating right around the bean part in a lovely pattern. Picky, this one. Now I am finding more of this, but also, there are beans that are simply broken off, which makes me think I have more than one type of creature feasting on my bounty. It’s as if a news alert went out: “Ripe Green Beans Here for the Eating.”
I remember that Henry David Thoreau, in his book, Walden, learned to plant a row of beans for the deer. I think of this often; planting for bees and butterflies and even for a rabbit or two. I don’t mind sharing. Actually, I expect it to an extent, but this is becoming a little much.
Perhaps I just have to plant a few more rows.