The mulberry. Long, black, & beautiful.
"Have you ever had a mulberry? It will blow your mind."
This is what I heard from my friend as she picked mulberries while on the phone with me. No, I had never had a mulberry that I could remember. All I could think of was 'all around the mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel' and I'm not even sure if those were the animals in the song. That's just what came to me. She brought me a small container of these berries. I had never seen anything like them. They were so long and lovely!
It seemed strange to eat such a long berry. It was like eating a juicy worm. Or what I imagine that to be like. Except sweeter and packed with a delicate berry flavor.
So much creative inspiration can be traced back to nature!
I found this in a magazine at some point. I thought it was such a great idea for growing gourds. You know how those vines get so long and can take over a garden that is cramped for space so why not let them grow up and over an arbor of some sort. Imagine walking through at the end of the summer with birdhouse gourds and mini pumpkins popping through the vines. If only I had a bit more yard to work with than a box for my tomatoes to grow in. One day!
Oh, the ruffly peony! I seem to be very into blossoms this week especially of the 'p' variety. I picked up a bunch of peonies at the farmers market and have been mesmerized by their loveliness ever since.
Have you ever seen one of these before? Maybe I should ask if you have ever smelled the foul scent of rotting meat that is emitted from the sticky slime on the tip of this fungi? You wouldn't forget it. These little guys pop up quickly in rich, damp places in North America and Europe. The stinky slime attracts flies and other creatures to it which then fly away spreading the spores and the life of the stinkhorn is carried on to another place. 
Are these flies mating on the stinkhorn? They must really enjoy that smell!
Aptly named the Phallus impudicus. (Impudicus translates to shameless. I'll let you figure out the rest)
According to wikipedia, in Medeival times stinkhorns were used in a cure for gout and in love potions. Hey, it worked for the flies. In France and Germany it is eaten in it's very young stages. I know for certain that I will not be adding this to my salad!
Rainbow swiss chard. The green leafy vegetable that's not only good for you but the beautiful colors that shoot from its thick stem into the veins of the leaf make it all the more appealing. Deep red, magenta, green, orange and bright yellow make up the rainbow. This seedling had me mesmerized as I planted it in our garden.
Colorful all the way to the roots. Isn't nature amazing?