Amazing Morning Glory

I don't know how it happens, but come the first of September, it seems like fall is here overnight. There's that special hint of a chill in the air, the humidity has all but left and the sky is a deeper blue.

Ever since I was a boy, one sure sign the days of summer were coming to an end was the browning of corn and the surprisingly vigorous and healthy morning glory vines that crept toward the tassels of cornstalks. Even though the first frost of fall is just weeks away, the plants seem to relish the cool nights and days of rain.

Sometimes, there are those little gems of nature and life, where the simplest of sights holds a delightful surprise and has the power to change your mood. So it is with morning glories with their robin-egg blue, deep purple, blushing pink and white flowering trumpets. Several years ago I happened to see a row of corn along a fence, and each stalk was decorated with the twirling vines, seed pods and flowers holding drops of cold dew.

In spite of all that is wrong with the world, our econom -- and many times -- our lives, there is a vignette of nature that offers a moment of peace. And so it was that fall morning, when this seemingly insignificant flower becomes nature's featured cameo of the day. One morning recently I saw the flowers showcased against dried corn leaves. I stopped to take a closer look, trying to determine what it really was that captured the eye and soothed the heart.

Maybe when we are young we have the time and interest to discover and appreciate the new and exciting. Certainly I associate the flower with growing up on the farm, standing at the edge of the road, waiting for the school bus and seeing the corn and soybean fields accented with morning glories.

This time I noticed a particularly dark navy-blue purple trumpet with the subtlest of varying shades. As the flower narrowed, it became drastically lighter and turned white. So white it looked like a tiny bulb was illuminating the flower.

Have to admit, I was really surprised. What was producing this bit of visual magic? The white interior and thinness of the flower allowed sunlight to illuminate the base of the trumpet. Who would have thought such a humble field flower held such remarkable qualities and beauty?
For the time spent looking, examining and being impressed, I found a special kind of peace in the world.

When it comes time to combine the fields, farmers aren't pleased with the dense vines that quickly choke the chewing augers of combine heads. Truth is, these vines can take over parts of a yard and cover fencing quickly and thoroughly. In a garden they form their own living canopy of vine over struggling young fall vegetables.

In our lives, we associate certain music, seasons and foods with the good and bad moments of our lives. Flowers, too, have a role. They seem to represent all that is pure, delicate, beautiful in nature and the best aspirations in our lives. To me, morning glories are the butterflies of the flower world, so fragile and light.

For some reason, there are few morning glories on the farm where I live. I have had to make do with a little stretch of milkweed flowers that grew along a corn row. In mid-summer they were alive with butterflies and bumbles bees. I made sure I didn't mow them down. The pods have since exploded and the seeds lay in wait to sprout in the spring.

As I drive through the countryside and see the heart-shaped leaves and the trumpets of morning glories, they bring back memories of growing up on the farm. Now that I have really taken the time to appreciate them, I am moved by their beauty and power to touch the heart.