Moonflowers

Three HUGE blossoms last night. It was too dark to take photos of them when they fully opened up. But I was able to get a few pix this morning. They are already wilting and drooping, to hang limply and drop off later today. There is something so special about a plant that only blooms at night, gigantic spectacular flowers that show themselves for just the one night, and dare you to catch them in all their glory.

I counted 15 more blossoms on the way this morning. There were only about 8 a day or so when I looked. It grows unbelievably fast, and for the shortest of seasons. I am so constantly and completely amazed by this plant. I had gotten a little start from a friend years ago. He grew tons of them in his yard and sold the little babies at the farmer's markets. Mom got one too. Mine didn't come back the next year, but hers came back very healthy again and again. A couple of years ago, she gave me one of her babies. And I figured it would poop out again after just one season. But I left a stake in the spot where it disappeared, just in case, so I wouldn't disturb it. This year it popped up all of a sudden, looking like a small weed, and in a spot next to where last year's plant had been -- a good foot from the stake I left to mark it. I had a sneaking suspicion that it was the Moonflower and gave it room, and now it's waist high and growing by leaps and bounds. What a lovely thing.