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Angel Trumpet has a flower throat (tube) that measures well
over six inches. It is pollinated by hummingbird and night-flying
moths that possess exceptionally long tongues. Normal habitat
and range would be in more arid regions but with our changing
climates recently it is easily understood why it would be able
to establish itself. Being blessed already with an abun- dance of wildflowers on the Coastal Plain dare we hope there is room for one more after normal conditions have return to the Escambia. |
| These long-flowered trumpets are downy plants with forked branches and possessing thick leaves that are sharp-pointed at the tip, widest below the middle and attached to a short leaf stalk at the widest end. Six species are recorded in the southwestern United States from Texas to California. There is little speculation as to how it arrived in the Escambia, but no doubt with the advent of better roads and heavy cross-country driving habits the tiny seeds were dislodged from a vehicle and found a place to settle down and reproduce its own kind. |
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(Mirabilis flavus)  |
Is there anyone who doesn't remember the old red, blue or
white four-o'clock? One might continue to see them at old homesteads;
they bring back such sweet memories. Of the Four-O'clock family
that are naturalized in the Escambia we can be sure of Sand Verbena
and Moonpod. There was a question asked once, "What does
four-o'clock and lightening bugs have in common?" To appreciate
them, one would need to relax outside after supper. Just as summer
dusk begins to settle over the neighborhood, that's the time
to watch fire flies visit these sweet-smelling jewels as leather- winged bats chase mosquitoes. |
| The plants got their name from the blossoms that open in late afternoon (four or five o'clock in most parts) and close the following morning. It's easily propagated from seed so this perennial is a good choice for the gardener who thinks he/she doesn't have a green thumb. They have persisted in places that were abandoned for well over 50 years and still produce healthy plants and an abundance of fragrant blossoms; ideal for the butterfly garden. |