Mexican Petunias

We visited my parents over the weekend at their home in northeast Louisiana, and enjoyed sitting on their back porch watching the antics of their hummingbirds as they swarmed around two feeders. I'll share a few of the pictures I captured of the hummers later this week, but today I'd like to share these colorful Mexican Petunias (ruellia brittoniana), which are growing in a flower bed near their porch.

Mexican Petunia is a perennial shrub that grows to be about three feet high and three feet wide.

When grown under hot sunny conditions, the foliage assumes a metallic bluish cast.

The flowers are trumpet-shaped, and between one-and-a-half and two inches in diameter.

They can be white, pink, purple, or any shade of blue, but I've never seen any color but the bluish-purple. The flowers bloom profusely during the hottest part of the year, and butterflies love them.

This is a picture of my Mexican Petunias which I took a couple of years ago. If you look closely, you can see butterflies in and amongst the blooms.

The plant is native to Mexico, but it can be found throughout the southeastern United States. Unfortunately, in some places, like Florida, it has been declared invasive.

Invasive or not, I love Mexican Petunias — but, then, I love Morning Glories ...

Chinese Tallow Trees ...

Honeysuckle ...

Kudzu ...

And Clover, too!

Springtime Lagniappe

There's nothing like a ride in the country in the springtime. Everywhere you look, there's lagniappe. Like clover blowing in the wind ... And the buzzing of honey bees ... Happily flitting ... From one flower to the next ... This big black bumblebee seemed to prefer the nectar of the wildflowers. And not far away, this sweet little Jonquil was nodding in the breeze, as if to say, "Don't forget me — take my picture, too!" These tangled wild rose vines were growing just out of reach beside the road. Grass and wildflowers were knee-high, and there was a ditch filled with water from a recent April shower between me and the flowers, so I had to be content with these pictures taken with my zoom lens. I hope your weekend is filled with lots of springtime lagniappe. Go out and find it ... it's there, waiting for you.

Mystery Flower

I took these pictures recently of a flower growing in one of our flowerbeds. Can you identify it? You can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like.

I captured a little lagniappe in the following picture, without realizing it until I edited it (see the little bug?).

Can you tell what it is yet?

I'm sure most of you have recognized this exquisite little flower by now, but I'd be willing to bet that you've never looked at them or thought of them as a thing of beauty until now.

Yes, it's a just a little Clover Blossom, happily thriving in our bed of Louisiana Irises.

I hope this will make you stop and think the next time you reach to pull up a clump of clover or another "weed" in your yard or flower beds ... and at least take the time to appreciate its beauty and uniqueness before you "yank it up."

The Hidden Beauty of Wildflowers ...

Yesterday, I shared my photos of one of the most elegant wildflowers, Queen Anne's Lace.

Today, I'd like to show you some of the other wildflowers I captured with my camera.

As I looked at them through the lens, I was amazed by the intricate beauty of these little flowers ... for the most part, hidden from sight of the busy world passing by them every day. I created a slideshow of my pictures and invite you to just sit back, listen to the music, and see what you've been missing ...