Gourd farming has become less commonplace over the years. They are used to house the Purple Martins (America’s largest swallows) when they arrive from South America in the spring, and many crafters decorate them. I started documenting this almost a year ago now and we have followed the planting season, the birds’ arrival, their gathering at Bomb Island on Lake Murray in the fall, their departure for South America, and now the harvest of this season’s gourd crop last weekend. Here are some of those images. Search my blog and photo website for more of this story.