I went to check my container garden and to my horror saw one of the melons laying on the ground, broken off the vine. Absolutely not ripe or ready. It had suspicious claw or maybe teeth marks. Hm. This melon was the closest to the top of the fence and I can imagine an enterprising raccoon or squirrel trying to abscond with the fruit. Or a curious cat deciding it was a play thing (most likely). Once the orb fell into the yard, I imagine the risk was not worth the reward. I did have it in a netting sling, but it was not as protected as the other melons. We’ll see if any of the others make it to fruition.

So after writing this post, I investigated my remaining two melons and discovered a gaping hole eaten into one of the unripe fruits. Sigh. Maybe the last melon will make it.