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December 16, 2020
It's looking like the weather is going to be pretty nasty, so here's a flower to brighten your day (photo also features bonus insect posterior). Morning glories belong to the family Convolvulaceae, and it's not easy to identify them to species. This is because there are more than 1,000 different species of morning glory belonging to multiple different genera!
What most morning glories have in common, however, is the trait that gives them their common name: the flowers tend to untwist themselves into full bloom in the early morning. Morning glories prefer full sun, although there are actually a few species that bloom at night!
Morning glories are always a popular choice for gardens because they grow quickly, tolerate poor soil, and like to twine themselves around anything nearby (including other plants, so be careful if you plant them among other flowers). Some morning glories are perennials, but other species are annuals. However, you probably don't need to worry too much about buying more seeds for the annuals, as morning glories readily self-seed and will pop back up the following year. #BenInNature
ABOUT #BenInNature
Social distancing can be difficult, but it presents a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. In this series of posts, Administrator of Science Ben Williams ventures outdoors to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world. New updates are posted Monday - Friday, with previous posts highlighted on the weekends.
NEW: TRIVIA CHALLENGE
You've seen the posts. You've learned the facts. Now, it's time to prove you are a #BenInNature Mega Fan! The museum's education team has developed the #BenInNature Trivia Challenge to identify the most devoted fans out there! Everyone who successfully answers each trivia question correctly will be congratulated by having your own nature selfie posted to the museum's #BenInNature Mega Fan Photo Album on the official VMNH Facebook page! Learn more and download the trivia challenge today by visiting http://www.vmnh.net/research-collections/beninnature-trivia-challenge.
NATURE PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS
If you discover something in nature that you would like help identifying, be sure to message us right here on Facebook with a picture (please include location and date of picture) and we'll have our experts help you identify it!
