Welcome to my little flower garden. In this garden, there aren’t many flowers. As a matter of fact, there is just one kind. The flowers are far from perfect. The petals are frail and some, a bit tattered. As you walk through, pause for a moment, close your eyes, feel the wind and inhale the tropical fragrance, the sweet aroma that emanate from the edible flower bed. As you slowly open your eyes, you’ll be greeted by sunshine-colored beauty and… the creature I found in my garden. If that doesn’t scare you, keep on reading.
Every gardener enjoys blossoms but before that stage, the soil is prepared, the equipment are gathered and the garden is nurtured. Stay with me as I explain the process. If you are afraid of creatures, I wish you luck because so am I. I can’t say I haven’t been pricked but I haven’t been seriously harmed. My advice though is that you approach with caution and at the same time, with a fruity appetite. I assume the creature is simply just watching over the garden. Forgive me if I’m wrong.
The flower bed requires a juicy pineapple. I often hear about the benefits of eating fruits and of eating pineapple in particular. I did some reading on healthonline.com and learned that it’s rich in vitamins, has anti- inflammatory properties, aids digestion and helps to lower the risk of the cancer. If all this is true, I hope my garden will be full of this substance.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-pineapple#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
The pineapple is washed, peeled and cut in circular slices. The equipment needed are a knife, a board for cutting and flower molds (cookie cutters) of different sizes. A few grapes are also needed. I did a quick check online to make sure these materials are actually good for the garden:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/health-benefits-of-grapes/amp/
I learned that they are a good source of vitamin C, contain anti-oxidants, other vitamins and minerals and also aid in fighting cancer. Again, if all this is true, I’m happy to have them in my little flower garden. Hmm…now I probably understand the reasons the creature decided to visit my little space.
After the bed is prepared, you’ll see the flowers gradually acquire form and shape. The gardener has to firmly press on the molds to attain clearly defined petals while ensuring that too much of the vital juice does not escape. Like any garden, the shape of the flowers may slightly differ. The gardener accepts even the fragile, rough-edged petals but continues to work to improve petal formation.
Mother Nature has a way of protecting herself. As soon as the flowers take form and shape, the green, spikey, yellow- faced creature appears.
With clove-like eyes and toothpick- looking nose and mouth, it sits in the garden seemingly awaiting its prey. It releases some of its spikes around almost each flower, soon after the purple center appears. I am lucky to be able to capture this all on camera. My hands occasionally shake as the monster… I mean creature takes form and sets its territory. It boldly presides over the bed of flowers.
I wasn’t sure if the creature would release more spikes had I tried to pick a flower. I slowly approached, I got close, I hesitated. I tried to resist but the sweet fragrance seemed to be calling my name. The creature’s eyes seemed a bit fixated. It seemed to sit still. I remembered that this was my garden, not the creature’s. I took the chance, I slowly and gently picked a flower, then another. I thought about my family and called them to get flowers too. They didn’t seem scared at all. They just looked at the creature, ignored it and grabbed flowers.
The blossoms were so delicious. We picked up all the fallen petals, gathered them in a cup and snacked on them as well.
I first thought this creature was a porcupine. After some research, I realized that porcupines don’t have clove-like eyes and toothpick-looking noses. Based on the flowers I safely got, I’d say it’s harmless. I wish I knew it’s name.
Help me name the creature. Please comment below.
Thank you for reading my post. Have a lovely day. 😃
