Glory of Morning

As in Morning Glories, which really live up to their name.

Because their beauty and glory are short lived – about 1 day (24  hours) to be exact.

Yesterday afternoon while walking along railroad tracks near our home, I found lots of morning glories in bloom.

After more than a week of rain, the sun had finally come out, even if briefly, but it was enough to set off these blooms.

Morning glory vine forms twining vines with bell-shaped flowers, and its varieties have also become intertwined botanically under the name "morning glory." The species is native to the U.S.

These rapidly growing vines  produce flowers in red, purple, pink, white  and multicolored. are related to the sweet potato. There are even double forms. They climb quickly and are often used to decorate trellises. Since they are quick growing and dependably colorful, morning glory has become the most popular annual vine.

The vines grow quickly to 10 feet or more only two months after seeds sprout. Leaves are heart-shaped.

The flowers are normally open from dawn to midmorning, but new varieties will stay open longer, especially on overcast days. Some types of morning glories reseed prolifically to the point of becoming invasive by crowding out and covering over other plants. When this happens, morning glory becomes an invasive problem. However, unlike kudzu, it’s an annual that dies each year.

Morning glory flowers unfurl into full bloom in the early morning hours. Flowers start to fade a couple of hours before the petals start showing visible curling.

Morning Glory trivia . . .

• The line”"What's the story, morning glory?” is the opening to “The Telephone Hour” from the musical Bye Bye Birdie.
• On the once popular TV series Bewitched Samantha and Darrin lived at 1164 Morning Glory Circle, Westport, CT.