strange find

Is this what I think it is?  Photographed with Nikon D300, 35 mm lens.

So the other day, when I was shooting just about everything I passed all day long, I was running along on the hike and bike trail, minding my own business, when I passed the flower you see above.  Are you seeing this thing?  How crazy is this flower?!

Naturally, after staring at it for a while, I took about 7 or 8 shots.  The thing is, as weird as it looked, there was something ... familiar about it.

When Marcus got home that evening, I showed him the shots.  "How weird is this flower?" I asked, still incredulous.  "Like, is it some kind of weed? I've never seen anything like this before around here.  It looks like a flower from Trinidad, not Texas."

"Definitely odd," said Marcus.  "But, you know what it looks like?  It looks kind of like ... what is it? ... umm... is it a ... passion fruit flower?"

As soon as he said that, something clicked.  I googled.  And damned if it doesn't look like he's right.

But it's Houston!  Passion fruits don't grow in Houston, do they?  And besides, this thing was in a patch of weeds!

So today, I went back to the trail, and searched every inch of my normal 5 mile route.  And thank goodness, even though the blossoms had shriveled up, I found the plant.   I took my house keys and used them to cut off a 2-foot section of the vine, and brought it home.

And now, Marcus (aka He Who Can Make Things Grow) is working his magic, and we'll see if we can actually get the cutting to grow.  I'll probably contact my friend Gayla for any tips, and if we can make this work, I'll have to figure out a way to ship one of the fruits to Maggie to cross off her life list -- although, now that I look at the updated list, it looks like she's already had passion fruit. 

But has she had a Texan passion fruit?  Probably not.

More if we make progress.

(Update:  On an unrelated note, as serendipity would have it, I've learned that the Museum of Fine Arts Houston is looking for volunteers for its administration/legal department.  This would be an unpaid internship, but if you happen to be in any university level writing, pre-law or law programs, this could be a great way for you to get credit and learn about art law at the same time.  If you're interested, please email me at chookooloonksATgmailDOTcom.  Thanks!)

 Song:  Walkin' on the sun by Smash Mouth