Railroad vine, goat's-foot morning-glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) — , native, iNat 312. Trailing stems to about fifteen feet, purple to reddish-pink funnel flowers, and a two-lobed leaf that gives the plant its species name; the Wildflower Center records blooms in every month of the year and a native range from Georgia and Florida to Texas . The magazine profile describes runners of twenty to thirty feet and two-inch flowers that open early and close in the heat of the day .
Beach morning-glory, also called fiddleleaf morning-glory (Ipomoea imperati) — , native, iNat 256. White flowers with yellow throats and leaves longer than wide that may be fiddle-shaped, arrowhead-shaped, or plain; it grows on beaches across all the Gulf states . "Fiddleleaf morning-glory" is a second common name for this same species, not a third beach morning-glory .
Coastal indigo, scarlet pea (Indigofera miniata) — , native, iNat 228. Prostrate stems to two feet with salmon-pink pea flowers April through October; a larval host for the gray hairstreak and Reakirt's blue (see chapter 08) and abundant on the coast and in South Texas .
Beach bean (Canavalia rosea, iNat 104), saltmarsh morning-glory (Ipomoea sagittata, iNat 26), and wild cowpea (Vigna luteola, iNat 21) are other trailing legumes and morning-glories with research-grade island records .
Observe responsibly
Wildlife, tides and access conditions change. Keep a respectful distance, do not feed wildlife, stay out of dunes and marked nesting areas, and use current official rules before fishing or handling any catch.