The First of the Many

... I hope!

We were very surprised this morning to find these two Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) blooms on the first day of July. The plants have only just started climbing in earnest, and these flowers were near the base, lower than we usually find them. But the flowers seem like fine specimens, with a deep rich colour.

Last year, we didn't see significant numbers of flowers until much later in the year. See my Blipfoto entry for 26 September 2010 for an explanation of how late last year's flowers arrived. There is also material in that entry about the psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties of the plant (seeds), so I won't repeat it here.

This further link has further interesting information about the hallucinogenic effects, and we are told that in several states of the USA it is legal to grow the plants "but only if the seeds are not extracted for the use of the chemical component LSA, a powerful hallucinogenic [substance]".

We collect the seeds, but only to sow the following year, and we obtain a hallucinogenic high only from the wonderful hues and textures of the flowers.