Too late

I got this broccoli plant from Sharon and I have tried to take very good care of it. I planted it in a pot on my front porch where I could see it every day. I watered it, babied it along until it got big enough to stand on its own. I fertilized it, made sure it got plenty of sunshine. I watched it grow for weeks. I was so excited as it began to get bigger and bigger. Soon the little broccoli spears began to appear. It grew into a nice healthy stalk of broccoli. The other day I decided it was time to harvest my first stalk of broccoli. I planned to do this as soon as I got home from work. After work I went inside, changed my clothes, got a knife, went outside to the plant and this is what I found! Some hungry critter beat me to it. This is all that was left. Hope they choked on it!