September Skies and Golden Spires, Showy Rattlebox

The lovely golden spires of the Showy Rattlebox spark spontaneous smiles. Radiant against a picture-perfect September sky, this showy legume more than lives up to its name.

Few would suspect that this ubiquitous roadside diva was once a stranger to our land, and that her performance here, though aesthetically appealing, spells doom for the native plants she upstages.

This transplant from India and Malaysia grows larger and lives longer in its more tropical homelands, but its striking beauty is undiminished by its smaller stature.










It has adapted well to our warm, sandy locale, and appears to have settled in for the long run.

As is so often the case, a closer inspection of the showy flowers reveals another critter hoping to capitalize on their appeal to the nectar seekers. 

Bon appetit, crab spider!