Beautiful May Pops!

My grandmother taught me about this plant when I was a child. She told me that besides stepping on the fruits which she identified as May pops, one could also eat them. Once, the vines of Passiflora incarnata were a prolific complement to the days of childhood summers. It seems that as I grew up, the plants declined in number. A few years ago, while tramping through vacant lots and roadside ditches, I was delighted to stumble upon a patch of the vines from my childhood. Of course I collected some May pops, flowers and leaves. I planted a whole fruit in my garden and waited hopefully for a shoot to appear that summer. I had given up hope and then I was amazed when two years later the first passion vine shoot finally emerged in late April, or was it May? The first year wasn't so great for my vine, but a few Gulf fritillary caterpillars did enjoy it. This year has been a burgeoning success of flower, fruit and symbiotic relationships for may insects and my coveted vine.  The ants have been drinking sweet nectar, the bumble bees have been shouldering each other about on the beautiful passion flowers, and several golden orb spiders have strung their webs adjacent to the tendrils of my prolific vine. Ah! Good medicine! Good for teas and tinctures, good for jellies too! I'm currently making a glycerite for relaxation and sleep this winter, and saving seeds for anyone else that wants to grow and enjoy this bounteous and beautiful herb.

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