Old Paint & Little Peaches

One day little Peaches noticed the humans digging around in the dirt near the pasture fence.

They dug and dug, stopping only to put small flowers of yellow, red, orange, and gold in the turned up earth.

Little Peaches stood there a long time puzzling over the strange behavior of the humans. Of course being the young pony that she was meant that anything that didn’t involve eating, napping, or running just for the fun of it confused her to no end.

Finally she decided to ask the oldest pony in the pasture, surely she would know what the humans were doing. She had been with them for seventeen years, that was almost an eternity to Little Peaches!

“Old Paint what are they doing?” she asked.

Old Paint paused in her grazing to look over at their humans, “Planting flowers Little Peaches. They do it every year.”

“What do they plant?”

“Flowers mostly, but sometimes they plant other things.”

“What kind of flowers?” Little Peaches asked moving closer to get a better look at the plants, only to be gently shooed away when she stuck her head down into one of the shallow holes.

“It depends,” said Old Paint walking up to stand next to Little Peaches, “come, I’ll show you.”

She led Little Peaches over to a corner of their pasture near the barn where they could see the human’s barn that they called a ‘house’ for some reason, “See the patch of dug up ground over there?”

Little Peaches nodded.

“Sometimes the humans plant flowers that become treats for us. Like watermelon, strawberries, and pumpkin. These all grow to have tiny flowers that later become fruit that is very sweet.”

“How come our shade tree does not flower then? I like its berries the best but it never gets any flowers.” Little Peaches pouted.

Old Paint chuckled, “Not all sweet treats flower Little Peaches. Our shade tree is really a very tall blackberry bush, and yes I enjoy those just as much as you do.”

“The humans sure do plant a lot of good things!” Little Peaches pranced back towards the humans with Old Paint plodding alongside her.

“Yes, but they must be careful Little Peaches. There are lots of flowers that they cannot grow near us because if they do they could make us sick if we were to accidentally eat them.”

“Like what?”

“Snapdragons for one,” said Old Paint, “tulips, buttercups, hemlock of course, carnations, Peonies, and milkweed which many humans plant to attract butterflies.”

“I like chasing butterflies though,” Little Peaches protested.

“I know you do, but our humans don’t want you sick either so it is best they do not have it near us.”

“What can they plant then?”

“Many things,” Old Paint smiled, “they can plant roses and lilacs, black-eyed susans, petunias which come in a variety of colors, and my personal favorite marigolds.”

“Why are marigolds your favorite?” Little Peaches asked cocking her head to one side, “Do they taste good?”

Old Paint just smiled, “Not really, but they help keep the bugs away. That’s why I always look forward to spring time when the humans plant them.”

“Is that what they are doing now? Planting marigolds?”

“Yes they are.”

“Hurry!” Little Peaches leapt and bucked and raced around the pasture while Old Paint watched.

“I’m so happy!” Cried Little Peaches, “the more they plant the less the biting flies and mosquitoes will bother us! I hope they plant lots and lots!”

“Be careful what you wish for Little Peaches.”

“Why? You just said that they keep the biting bugs away.”

“Because if they plant too many they could attract-,” Old Paint was cut off by Little Peaches bolting for the barn door.

“Bees!”