Wild Morning Glory

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Wild Morning Glory (Calystegia sepium):

One of the many species of binder weed, wild morning glory is a common vine found throughout both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Its seeds are poisonous, enough to make most animals sick upon the ingestion of just a few and to discourage any further attempts to eat the seeds. The seeds are also very hearty, remaining viable as long as 30 years after being dispersed from the vine. Morning glory flowers occur from the end of spring to the end of summer. They are shaped like trumpets, and tend to be white, pale pink, magenta, or blue in color. They have thin stems with heart-shaped leaves. Interestingly, not all the flowers on the vine bloom at the same time. Every morning at least one new bud opens and a flower appears. These flowers are especially attractive to birds and butterflies, which along with the very beautiful colors induces some people to ignore their classification as a weed and plant them in gardens.

Katrina BergmanWild Morning Glory