Colors of the Corn by Greg Stone
Corn is earing out at the Dunham’s Brook Conservation Area (1520 Main Road). The Westport Land Conservation Trust, Inc. (WLCT) is working with dairy farmer Andrew Ferry to chop the corn later this year. Notice the shiny, thread-like fibers that grow as part of the ears of corn. This is the Corn Silk and each individual, elongated fiber is attached to a potential kernel. Up to 1,000 potenital kernels form on each ear of corn. The corn silk must be pollinated to produce a kernel. If successfully pollinated the corn silk will detach from the ear in two or three days.
