Convulvulus arvensis, Morning Glory

Morning Glory is a perennial climber growing to 2m in height. It can grow in poor soils and it has very invasive character. Its root system is very deep and strong and can spread on a quite big distance which makes the plant extremely difficult to eradicate. Even if a small part of the root stays in the ground it can develop a strong new plant. This Morning Glory grows in Mersey Valley, Manchester, completely covering the embankment next to the footpath. It enjoys plenty of sunlight and little if no competition for this spot. The plant flowers all the way from January to September with white fragrant flowers which attract many insects. In this case it also present a shelter and home for a lot of them. It climbs by twining itself around any support or other plant species and can swamp and strangle other plants. This Morning Glory already made sure to wipe out the competition apart from the Crataegus monogina and acer trees within its reach.