Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) The stem of this woody vine grows from 20 to 40 feet long and either stretches along the ground or climbs on bushes and trees. The flowers grow in terminal clusters of two to nine blossoms, each with petals--which extend to about 2.5 inches--flaring into five rounded lobes. Four anther-bearing stamens (anthers contain the pollen; a stamen is the male organ--a filament ending in an anther) and a pistil (female organ with a pollen catching tip, or stigma, joined to an ovary by a style). The leaves grow oppositely on the stem, and each compound leaf is made up of seven to ten, toothed leaflets. Trumpet creepers grow naturally from New Jersey to Iowa southward, and they are used as decorative plants north of New Jersey. The flowers bloom late June to September. The upper photo was taken along the Wildlife Loop (map) on the refuge at the end of June.

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