Blooming in the Bayou

  Oh, what a beauty!  Doing a bit of meandering the other day, my cousin and I came across a bit of gorgeousness in the palmettos.   Dangling about head high were two lovely white blooms.  After gaining a better look at the bloom, we found that they had deep violet centers.  The blooms resembled morning glories in shape but were much larger.  We oohed and aahed over the blooms for a few moments before continuing our morning hike.  Fishing was on our minds so the lovely flowers were soon forgotten.

  This evening as I sat going through a bunch of pictures that I had taken during my cousin's visit, the photograph of the blooms stood out amongst the others of mainly sunrises.  Wow!  Since the picture was taken at daybreak, the white blooms sharply contrasted with the dark background making them seem even brighter.  I was impressed!

  For those who may not know, when you spy these telltale white blooms on the side of the road, you are actually looking at the blooms of a Wild Potato Vine.  The plant is a relatively hardy plant that grows as a vine reaching up to twenty or so feet.  It requires little or no care, can thrive in direct sun or partial shade (like this one!) and is attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  The only downside of the plant is that the seeds are toxic to humans if ingested. 

  Since I have no plans of eating the plant and do enjoy the wildflowers of the area, this one can continue to thrive where it is growing.  There is absolutely no reason to uproot something so lovely!