White Flower!

It's April. There have been no showers. However, a few trips to the nursery to boost the appeal of my front yard found me picking up another new Passiflora. I picked up 'Quasar', a hybrid that I had not heard of before. It has large buds much the same size as x belotii, but the blooms are pure white. I actually planted this one in the ground instead of a pot, so it will be a permanent resident of this residence (though I'll take clippings eventually). 

I lost some branches of P. trisecta in a wind storm a few weeks ago. I was saddened to find that the branches that I lost were the ones laden with the most buds. Sad was I. However, last night I noticed that the largest bud on the vine was sticking straight up where had been drooping under its own weight the during the day. It looked as though it would burst like one of those egg pods from the movie "Alien(s)." Sure enough, the flower popped open to reveal this little nocturnal flower. I dabbed some P. loefgrenii pollen on it, and we'll see what happens next. 

Laced with Nightshades

I've been patiently waiting for P. trisecta to open (at night) for a few weeks since I returned from my extended time away from home. This morning when I inspected the largest bud to make sure that I didn't miss it, I found an tiny little carnivorous lacewing resting. I still haven't figured out why the plant smells of tomatoes when it's rustled -  a very strange trait.

Update: The bud dropped without ever opening, and I do not know why. I guess I'll wait again.