Naturally Speaking

Blossoms are often the Rodney Dangerfields of garden, field and forest harvests. Tomatoes, squash, beans and even corn, oats and wheat begin productions with blossoms. But not all blossoms become fruit of their blooms.
The blossoms of many plants, including corn, squash, cucumbers, walnuts, winterberries, oaks and hemp come in two kinds. About half of the blossoms become fruits and the other half only produce pollen.
Sometimes, as in corn, both flower types are on the same plant. Other times, as with hemp and winterberry, the two flower types are on different individual plants. Although we commonly call these flowers and plants they are on male or female, technically they are not, but that's a long, long, long story.
So when half the squash flowers open big and yellow and then drop of, do not despair because there should be a fruit flower close by to receive the bee's little load of pollen and the plant will produce a big, fat Hubbard squash.
Look closely at the young squash blooms and you'll learn to recognize those who are fruit blooms and those who are not. You'll be able to see the ovary at the base of the flower if it is a fruit flower.