Telling Time with Flowers

There are quite a few flowers that tell time. Greeting the day at dawn; both open about 5 a.m., are dandelions and morning glories warning the wee fairy folk that the mortals will soon begin to appear. Marigolds pop open about an hour later. Some are slugabeds such as the Star of Bethlehem which doesn't open until 11 a.m. Four O'Clocks are named that for a reason..... opening late in the day, in time for tea.

This datura or Moonflowers open late, around 9 p.m. and remain open into the evening. The glowing white flowers make it easy for the fairies to see late into the evening. This photo was taken in the early morning of the fading trumpet flower.

While it is a lot of fun to tell time with flowers, they don't always perform precisely on schedule nor do they observe daylight savings time. Don't count on them to get you to the train on time. Despite such vagaries as light, air, soil, temperature, latitude - which trigger their inbred mechanisms, telling time with flowers is yet another adventure in gardening.