Homegrown Woodburned Birdhouse Gourd

Photo Submission

Submitted By

Lauren Messinger

Hummelstown, PA, United States

Description

I grew this birdhouse gourd from seed. When it ripened it was full of water, which evaporated through the skin and stem, giving the gourd a unique and rustic weathering. After all the liquid evaporated and the seeds rattled inside the gourd, I scrubbed off the more obvious signs of weathering and dunked it in a mild bleach solution to stop the weathering process.
I drilled an entrance hole, drainage holes, and hanging holes, and woodburned an original design of chickadees. After two coats of Polyurethane, my birdhouse gourd was ready to become home to a lucky pair of birds!