Morning Glories

The container grown Small White Morning Glories have done remarkably well.  Of course, they received plenty of water and were not disadvantaged by the on-going drought.

I just discovered this native species at Blue Jay Barrens last year and took advantage of a large seed crop to scatter some around in likely habitats.  I also threw a few seeds into an unused pot.  This is a plant of moist areas and those scattered seeds didn’t do very well this year.  The container grown plants have swarmed over the branches I used as a trellis and reached their vines out in search of any other nearby support.

Hundreds of seed pods are developing, so it looks like there will be plenty of seeds to keep this annual species going next year.

There are a few wild grown vines, but they are quite short and have just begun to climb. 

The native Morning Glory is growing in disturbed soil at the edge of the bird feeding area.  Wild Turkeys scratch this area bare every winter, so growing conditions are perfect for annual species. 

Joining the mix with the Small White Morning Glory is the non-native Ivy-leaved Morning Glory.  This species is commonly found in crop fields and gardens or other areas of bare soil.  Fortunately, conditions on the dry barrens are too severe for exotic Morning Glories, so I don’t have to worry about this species running off across the prairies.

 

The Final Pots

My plan was to plant the residents of my pots into more permanent locations.  The early onset of drought conditions made me change those plans, so any necessary transplanting will take place next spring.  This Small White Morning Glory is a native annual vine that I first discovered on the property last year.  I threw a few seeds into this pot and I think every one of them sprouted.  I have noticed no plants growing where they were found lst year.  As long as I continue to supply water, this mess of plants should give me a good supply of seeds.  I’ll spread some of the seeds in a couple of suitable locations around the yard to see if they can establish permanent populations.

My work with potted plants is being phased out until I can construct an enclosure that effectively keeps out the marauding wildlife.  Most of my pots are under attack by various local animals.  I also need to create some permanent beds in which to plant the mature plants.  I originally began with pots in an attempt to learn about germination habits of the local native plants.  In the process, I managed to accumulate several pots full of mature plants. 

Here’s one of the animal offenders.  Not only do the Cottontails sit in the pots nibbling the plants, they have gone so far as to dig their nests in the center of the pots.

Squirrels and Chipmunks keep the potting soil constantly stirred. 

I had some seeds left over from my Prairie Garden expansion, so I planted them in a couple of empty pots.  I planted two species per pot, each confined to their own half.  Unfortunately, before I got a screen cover on this pot, a squirrel dug into one side and mixed the seed.

The seeds I planted were all species that I hadn’t raised since I got my first digital camera.  I grew them now just so I could get a photo record of their young forms.  Prairie Dock grows just enough to get the cotyledons above ground. 

Development of the first true Prairie Dock leaf quickly follows emergence of the cotyledons.  The impressive growth is taking place below ground.  At this stage, the root has already exceeded a depth of 12 inches.

This is the seedling of Liatris aspera, Rough Blazing Star.  The cotyledons of this species also remain stalkless at ground level.  The first true leaf rises tall and thin.  Seedlings sometimes only produce the one leaf in their first growing season.

These False Aloe plants have been growing in their pot for several years.  One has managed to produce a flower stalk, but they are way too overcrowded to do well.  The problem with transplanting is going to be separating individual plants from the solid mass of roots in the bottom of the pot.  Plants that naturally put their roots deep into the soil just don’t respond well to confinement in pots.  I’m hoping that the creation of permanent growing beds will allow me to observe the natural progress of plant development that follows  the germination and early growth stages. 

Number 527

Over the weekend, I was able to add Number 527 to my list of plant species found growing at Blue Jay Barrens. This latest addition to the list is Small White Morning Glory, Ipomoea lacunosa, a native plant that reaches the northern limits of its range in Southern Ohio.

I noticed this new plant when I saw the vines wrapped around the tall stalk of a Wingstem. At first I thought I was looking at one of the common weedy vines and then I got close enough to notice the small flowers. It’s always exciting to find a new native plant on the property.

The flowers and leaves of the morning glory really complement the Wingstem display.

I was happy to find this plant growing in a mix of other native species. Some texts describe this plant as growing in weedy situations. It’s nice to see that it will do well in what I consider to be a non-weedy condition.

The flowers are on short stalks that come off of the main stem. There were anywhere from one to four flowers per stalk.

Leaf shape ranges from heart shaped to a three lobed form. Leaves found lower on the vine were all perfectly heart shaped with no indications of potential lobes. Those found higher on the plant were much more varied.

There were already many fruits developing on the vines. This is an annual plant, so a good seed crop is important to the plant’s continued survival on this site. It’s always fun to find a new species growing at Blue Jay Barrens, especially when it’s a native. Being able to identify the new plant makes it that much better.