As I was walking along the road near our farm yesterday, I saw these in the ditch. Such an exotic looking seed pod.

Wild Cucumber

And those crazy curly tendrils, like the telephone cords of wall phones from long ago. Well, a decade ago. Well, some of us still have them.

Wild Cucumber

Wild cucumber, Echinocystis lobata. The name Echinocystis comes from the Greek echinos for “hedgehog” and cystis for “bladder”.

I remember taking photos at the same spot last September, so I hereby present some from that season. Same plant, in its long ago youth.

Wild Cucumber

I love the combination of green spikes, green tendrils, green leaf curves, green shadow.

Wild Cucumber

Guess what’s peeking out of that seed pod.

Wild Cucumber seeds

I find two of these seeds still wrapped in a scrap of paper on the corner of my kitchen counter. I will definitely be attempting germination and planting on a garden trellis or pole structure, in the seemingly distant spring and summer yet to come.