Picky eaters are always a problem. They will literally turn up their noses at many, if not most, culinary options placed before them.
For those making the offering available to the persnickety diner, the trial and error process of finding the right dish is particularly frustrating. This is especially true when considering the snobby consumer who has a dietary limitation unknown to most.
In contemporary north Florida there are some colorful native insect residents which have a desire for specific plants. Monarch butterflies are one species, but another is the Gulf Fritillary.
The object of its dining obsession is the Passion Flower. Passiflora incarnata, as it is scientifically known, is a fast growing perennial vine and is commonly known as passion flower, with a fruit sometimes called a maypop.
Passion flowers are just beginning their seasonal bloom. These colorful native vines with intricate flowers have a mesmerizing complexity. The blooms soon become a lime-sized fruit with white seeds.
The vine is found in sunny areas, but it will not grow in heavy shade. Untended fence rows, ditches and fallow fields are sites where this vine is frequently encountered.
The large bloom is complex and hypnotic, with a multitude of shapes and angles within the structure. These blossoms are attached to the climbing or trailing stems, but they are found on the ground when there is nothing on which to climb.
The flower’s color ranges from purple to near flesh color. The term incarnata, in the scientific name of this local wildflower, means flesh colored in Latin.
This dazzling regional native has been appreciated by many cultures. The Cherokee term for this bloom is Ocoee. This identifier lives on in Tennessee where the Ocoee River and the Ocoee Valley are still associated with this plant.
The passion flower’s vines begin producing fruit, called a maypop, in mid-summer. The maypop is green and approximately the size of a large lime, but it turns yellow as it matures.
The interior of the fruit is white with abundant white seeds about the same size and shape of watermelon seeds. Historically, colonial settlers and the indigenous natives before them have eaten the raw maypops and used them in a variety of culinary applications.
Additionally, the maypops have been used in an assortment of folk medicine formulas. While there has been some basic research into its medicinal properties, the most soothing use is to enjoy the blooms.
The passion flower vine plays a very important role with some of the panhandle’s insect residents. It, and other less common passion flower varieties, is the exclusive host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly’s caterpillar and a major food source for the Variegated Fritillary’s caterpillar.
The Gulf Fritillary caterpillar is bright orange and covered with rows of medium length black spines. The spines are soft to the touch and do not sting, but if eaten the larva is toxic.
Gulf Fritillary butterflies are a muted orange with a large silver spot on the underside of each wing. They are noted for their ability to traverse the Gulf of Mexico and travel as far as Argentina.
Gulf Fritillary butterflies have been able to expanded their range because of the cultivation of passion flower varieties by the environmentally concerned. Luckily, north Florida has plenty occurring naturally to feed the abundant population of these colorful insects.
This is something everyone can be passionate about.
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