The vine starts outside the right frame of this picture, travels to the left, where it loops back to the right, but then tries to detour up the mango tree. The flower is smack in the middle of it all. See it?

Ah, finally… The butternut pumpkin vine seems to have settled in to the permanent location under the mango tree. It has been promising flowers for about 3 weeks, growing buds but then aborting them. I knew that all I needed was patience, and I have been rewarded.

Yes, they’re male flowers, about 1 to 2 metres back from the tip of the vine. I’ve peeped along the length and have seen only boy buds so far. I guess the female bud will come when I’m least vigilant, so maybe I’ll not be such a mother hen over this plant and let it get its act together in peace.

Since the flower blooms early in the day and I didn’t visit the plant early, the flower in this photo is already starting to close shop.

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