Passiflora incarnata

Wild Passion and Butterfly Weed

| Flower Roberts

My bank is where the wild things grow. I do not fight the weeds over there. It let plants battle it out on the bank. Only the fittest thrive across the drive.

A weed and some passion

Two of my favorites are this wild purple passion vine we call Maypop. The orange is butterfly weed. I love this combination of color.

Maypop

I watch this bank for butterflies all summer long. It is a well-remembered spot for my flying friends.

Butterflies and deer love it.

I highly recommend a wild spot in your garden. It is a place I enjoy without all the maintenance. I do not fight weeds nor deer over here.

FLOWER

Pistils Up on the Passion

| Flower Roberts

I know my garden like the back of my hand, so any little change is noticed.

On a misty, moisty morning last week, I was out with my camera and noticed the Passion flowers looked wrong.

They usually have the stamens and pistil parts in a whorl like a merry-go-round above the lovely corona.

On this morning however, the pistils were pulled up away from the stamens.

Were the pistils being prude for a particular reason?

I wish I could answer my question. I did do some research.

Some flowers are “male only” so that only the bisexual blooms set fruit to save plant resources.

All the blooms were pointing their pistils up, so I do not think this is the case here.

I checked today and all the pistil parts are down again, cozying up to the stamens and their pollen.

Ready for business with their styles spread wide.

Maybe some of you botany folks can shed light on this mystery.

Does the androgynophore  morph due to temperature, humidity, maturity…?

Flower

 

My Weed

| Flower Roberts

There is a whole world on one weed in my garden.

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I did not kill this weed because of a hybrid I fell in love with in Tuscany.

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So when I saw it growing on the bank, I staked it up to compare it with the hybrid.

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What a wonderful weed it has been.

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This wild Passion vine/Maypop/Passiflora incarnata has been a whole laboratory.

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There are ants on the pods and stems.

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The best part is all the caterpillars of various sizes.

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Tiny, shiny, spiky, orange and black caterpillars of Fritillary butterflies.

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I check on this plant every day and find something new.

An added bonus is a beautiful, blue morning glory that grew up into the Passion vine.

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My daddy’s favorite color of blue, bluebird blue.

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I have been blessed by this weed.  I am so thankful I did not kill it.

Where would all those lovely caterpillars be?  Nowhere, that’s where.

Follow the weed.