#ipomoea pubescens

[poop-me-a-flower]

Not only are we awake, we’ve already gotten 3/4 the way up our trellis! Which is not a problem at all, even though it isn’t even spring yet!! Not at all!

Maybe if we stop being so problematic, we can see some flowers this year!

[ceekbee]

Purple is a non-spectral color, unlike the primary colors blue and red in the previous collages. Unlike all its peers purple doesn’t correspond to a single type of electromagnetic radiation, and must always be born out of a mix of two others. Look closely at a rainbow, and you will not see the color purple.

Yet, although purple isn’t a spectral color in the makeup of light, it is a color that can exist naturally and in the visible spectrum, so our brains evolved the ability to perceive it. There are even different shades of purple, such as lavender and orchid. Anthocyanins are responsible for creating purple, the same that create blue and red in flowers.

Purple wildflowers are among my favorites, but I wondered if I could pull together a purple collage from my gallery. As it turned out, I had purple flowers left over. Here is my new purple collage, my favorite of the ones that I have created to date. Like the other two (red and blue) this is formatted to be printed at 36" X 48".

From top to bottom, left to right:

Purple leatherflower (Clematis pitcheri)

Texas skeleton flower (Lygodesmia texana)

Plateau agalinis (Agalinis edwardsiana)

Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum)

Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii)

Purple bindweed (Ipomoea cordatotriloba var. cordatotriloba)

Ground plum (Astragalus crassicarpus)

Spurred butterfly pea (Centrosema virginianum)

Purple pleatleaf (Alophia drummondii)

Purple horsemint (Monarda citriodora)

Bracted twistflower (Streptanthus bracteatus)

Purple prairie clover (Dalea compacta var. pubescens)

©2021 Ted Lee Eubanks

[poop-me-a-flower]

Ipomoea pubescens is leafed out and climbing. Must be spring.

[poop-me-a-flower]

Oh yeah, my ipomoea bloomed! I love this plant. I hope I can get it through the winter. Also, look how much it’s grown!

[poop-me-a-flower]

Ipomoea. This one is a caudiciform, probably ipomoea pubescens. The caudexes are pretty small at this point. It’s a lovely vine, though it’s looking like it won’t flower this year. :( If anyone has any care tips for these I’d be thrilled. I’m going to try and overwinter this one inside.