I once lived on a magical little farm and had a fairy godmother landlord. It was a great place to be an herbalist. But…the house I lived in also housed a small country’s worth of moths. Some of them hitchhiked with me to my new place, as evidenced by the occasional moth fluttering around the bedroom and holes I sometimes find in my shirts.
The moonflower is in the family Convolvulaceae, which includes the morning-glory. The plant is native to Central America and is now found worldwide. Moonflowers are tropical plants that are perennials in hot climates. Those plants growing in the southeastern United States form tuberous roots and become perennials; however, those plants growing in Arkansas and cooler climates are annuals.
Petunias are a member of the Solanaceae family that includes eggplants, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. They became a separate species about thirty million years ago. The Petunia inflata is a small purple flower that attracts bees with its bright color, but some flowers lost their color and became Petunia axillaris, a larger white flower, resulting in the production of modified scent compounds to attract hawkmoths.