Wednesday, September 19, 2012

viney shrubby thing with ants


I have a small shrub sort of thing in my yard. Or maybe a medium shrub thing. They can get tall actually if they like where they are and we have mild summers. I had one in Houston that was planted at the base of the light pole. It got so tall that the ends quit being branches and turned into vine that was starting to twist ever higher up into the wires so I had to cut it back.


I always thought it was called morning glory bush because the flowers looked like beautiful pinky purple morning glories. It was quite a surprise to see it do that. The other thing I find weird is that the ants love it. And not just one kind of ant. I think I saw three kinds of ants on it.


There were the big tree ants, a medium sized ant that was sort of honey colored with a big abdomen looked like it was full of fluid, and then some very small ants. And they all moved at about the speed of light.


It was like watching one of those movies that speeds up the film.


It was hit or miss with the pictures.


It's hard to tell how many there really were because every time I would move in with the camera, they would all scurry off.


I wandered over to the small pond. The big garden orb weaver still has her web set up there between the althea and the plumeria. The small pond, with it's lily pads, gets a lot of traffic from wasps, bees, dragonflies, and the like. You can see she has herself a dragonfly now.


Across the gate, growing on the old clothesline pole is the moonflower. I was late getting it planted and it is late blooming. It's had about 4 or 5 flowers already but I can't seem to remember to go out at dusk and look. By the time I am up in the morning, which isn't that late, they have already closed up. So this is how I have seen them this year...the possibility of moonflower.



12 comments:

  1. My first thought was rose of sharon, but that's not it. And thus ends my "knowledge" of shrubs with trumpet looking flowers - ha!

    Love that picture of orb weaver - very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And even in the possibility, the moonflower's whirled closed bud is a thing of wonder.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The spiders really creep me out, especially the large one. Ick Ick Ick Ick!!!!

    Im very curious about what a moonflower looks like.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your shrub almost has the same leaves as a bindweed.Maybe similar in family. There are also a number of wild morning glory varieties. Love the spider, each is always so unique.

    ReplyDelete
  5. love the garden spider. i don't know my plants very well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My goodness what a beautiful spider! at first I only saw the bulbish bit and thought it was a pod, then the whole creature came into focus and I actually scared myself, not because it is a spider but because my eyes are so tricky...beautiful shots of the little busy ants!

    ReplyDelete
  7. We called it Morning Glory. Commonly known as binder weed because it wrapped around everything it touched and made an ugly mess. Once in the ground it's roots spread just under the surface like white worms. If you didn't get every last bit of root, new binder weeds grew. The stuff consumed one of my flower beds once.

    ReplyDelete
  8. PS--I love orb spiders. We had one for years, then she left us.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The bush is called morning glory bush. I guess I didn't make that clear.

    Joanne, I know bindweed or wild morning glory. I have it growing on a fence. This is a large shrub that will turn into a vine if the individual branches are allowed to get long enough. The flowers are about 4" across.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The plant is lovely! Perhaps it serves as a feeder for the ants, and in turn for the other insects. Love your pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I remember planting Morning Glories but don't think they were bush like, but then maybe I'm thinking of the sweet peas. I could sit and watch ants forever, but panic when I see a spider.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I always love your garden updates. Looks like a medium bush thing in the pictures.

    ReplyDelete

I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.