How odd, I thought, that someone would have just tossed some yard clippings onto the beach. I opened my eyes and noticed a whole sand dune full of these flowers and realized this flower was actually growing out of the sand.
It turns out there are many sand dunes on the beach, abundant with these little purple guys. An internet search revealed that this is a Railroad Vine, also known as a Beach Morning Glory. They thrive in hot, sunny, sandy conditions.
I'm from New Jersey, the Garden State, and grew up watching my father plant tomatoes and peppers in the rich dark soil. As an adult, I moved a little further south to an area that had very sandy soil and it certainly was a gardening challenge. I moved once again to Florida, where the soil in my young community can hardly be called soil. It is mostly fill (here I would normally insert the word "dirt", but that's not really accurate), composed of sand, shells, and construction debris. Trying to figure out the correct time of year to plant tomatoes, and then getting them to grow in this harsh Florida environment, is nearly impossible.
Finding this lovely flower growing on the beach, in hot dry sand, was a refreshing surprise. My gardening spirit has been revived and I can't wait to play in the dirt again!
