Corn Stalks and Morning Glory Vines

Every summer, whether or not corn is planted in this field, thousands of Morning Glory vines grown out of the soil. Purple, pink, white, and tiny orange flowers climb up the stalks and stems of anything else that grows here.

The flowers only appear before noon, then retreat until the following morning. Their presence on the tall cornstalks doesn’t seen to hurt the development of the ears. It’s almost as though the flashy Morning Glories attract the insects necessary to polinate the small, drab, brown flowers on the corn tops.
These opportunistic guests will always be here, because each blossom produces a seed pod that is plowed under in the fall, with six new seeds ready to sprout next spring. What a beautiful addition these hardy vines make to these monotonous rows of our most cultivated food.

• July 10, 2012
• Our Trees and Plants, Summer
• 2 Comments