Random corn stalks in the city

We're not certain whether neighbors (in a rather upscale co-op building) in Chicago's Gold Coast are looking for ways to cut back on their food bill; whether aliens or high winds planted corn seeds in random little spots of soil around town, or if the phenomenon we've noticed is a real slow-occurring Internet flash-crowd event by cornstalks.

Whatever it is, we've seen random stalks of corn sprouting in the oddest places across our city. This morning's discovery was of a single stalk of corn (don't city farmers know that stalks must be raised in twos so they can cross-pollinate?) accompanied by a tall baby-tomato plant on the alley-facing side of an otherwise perfectly landscaped property.

Corn stalk on left; tomato plant on right

Could be some folks' response to rising food prices. Here is another, sprouting from the little stretch of soil on the margin of a Walgreens parking lot on Diversey Parkway at Halsted Street. 'Least somebody knew to plant these in twos:

Random cornstalks at a Walgreens parking lot in Chicago's Lincoln Park