One of the perks of wandering about the marshline at the break of day is that I get to see all sorts of wondrous things that most other folks miss. This brings to mind that old adage "You snooze, you lose!" While it probably does not amount to a hill of beans to others, it is highly important on my "to do" list. In about the upper third of that list is "Find, view and photograph everything about the swamps, marshes and waters." If nothing else, my kids and grandkids will have a photographic assemblage to pilfer through after I am dead and gone. Not that any of the pictures will be worth a dime but, at least, they will be able to see the wonders of the place through my eyes and before it is fully ruined by "progress".
This morning's bit of loveliness was a Saltmarsh Morning Glory. This, like all other morning glories, blooms at dawn then usually withers before noon. This, unlike most other morning glories, is salt water tolerant which gives it the name. Here, it flourishes. The vines trail upwards of ten feet, has arrowhead shaped leaves and five inch blooms. It does best when allowed to climb wherever it wishes without curtailment. The blooms are pinkish purple with a deeper color throat. Bees adore the nectar bearing blooms.
Finding the Saltmarsh Morning Glories in bloom brought a smile to my face as this is one of the flowers that Pop always used to point out when we would fish along the shores. Several times, he said he wished he could get a few seeds to plant along the old fish pond in the side yard but we never dared to traipse in the marshes to retrieve any. Now, I find myself doing just that. The marsh, albeit full of cottonmouths and gators, is not near so scary as when I was a kid. My handful of seeds might be a sweet addition to the small gardens. (Yes, I did go there.)
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