Passion Flowers & Jack Crevalle

When Sarah posted this passion flower picture on facebook and noted her amazement that many people consider it a weed, it made me think about the fact that passion flowers are a little like jack crevalle. The only thing wrong with either is that someone, somewhere along the way, decided they were weeds or junk fish.

Interestingly, the biggest knock against a passion flower (Maypop, if you prefer) is that can be "invasive." Transfer the exact same characteristic to a nursery-sold plant and it would be dubbed enthusiastically as hardy and fast-spreading. Similarly, with a jack crevalle, anglers curse jacks because of their brute strength and the lengthy battles needed to land them -- the exact traits that bring acclaim to various popular "sport fish."

Passion flower have interesting foliage and spectacular ornamental blooms, both traits that would be highly praiseworthy in an intentionally placed plant. In the same manner, jacks attack topwater lures with the kind of vigor that's celebrated in other sport fish and their seemingly drab sides flash beautiful iridescent colors when they turn in the sunlight.

I suppose it doesn't really affect me whether folks consider something a wildflower or a weed. I'll just keep enjoying passion flowers when I see them, just as I'll continue to enjoy a catch even when I realize that what I thought was a bull redfish actually is a jack crevalle.