leatherflower, Clematis viorna

Here's the best reason to appreciate yesterday's great big obvious mullein foxglove. When I was done with it and turned around, I noticed a flash of color down in the roadside ditch. Oh, wow! I have wanted to see leatherflowers for so long! The structure of this beauty is really interesting. One hardly need mention the thickness. Those purple sepals look like they're united, but actually just touch. The effect is a shape that's perfectly fascinating. Leatherflowers are also called vasevine. They grow in AR, DE, GA, IL(E), IN, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, OH. PA(E), SC, TN, VA, WV, and ON. Adams Co OH, 7/8/20. Buttercup family, Ranunculaceae.