Several years ago I rescued three Trumpet Creeper Vines from the county road grader. The vines have dark green leaves and large red-orange trumpet-shaped flowers that are a favorite refueling station for hummingbirds. The vines grow in abundance around here filling the county road bar ditches with color. Like sunflowers, they seem to enjoy dry, hot summers.
Given a post to climb, the Trumpet Creeper Vine assumes a tree shape. For years, while visiting relatives, we have admired one of these vine-trees in a Woodward, OK neighborhood. I decided we should have one for our front yard.
Today, I looked up the vine on the Internet and find that an alternate name is ". . . 'cow's itch', which it earned from its origins in the nightshade family, and the itchy rash its blossoms can sometimes cause in bovines and humans who come in contact with a toxic residue produced by Trumpet Vine leaves. . ."
Oh well.
***BTW: If you ever come for a visit, please stay away from the pretty vine-tree in the front yard.
