Celebrating Spotted Jewelweed on Wildflower Wednesday

It's Wildflower Wednesday--the fourth Wednesday of the month--when gardeners around the world share information about some of their favorite wildflowers.

This month, my pick is Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), also nicknamed Spotted Touch-Me-Not.

It's a tall (four feet), watery plant with delicate, one-inch flowers dressed in orange with red spots. Jewelweed is native to most of the Canadian provinces and the United States, except in the Southwest and some of the mountain states.



It's naturalized in several areas up at our cottage, including a section facing north near the road, alongside Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima).



And an area facing south but blocked by tall Cattails (Typha spp.). In the past, the fishman knocked the plants back by the shore, but this year we decided to let them have their way (obviously, we need to trim the Cattails growing through the dock boards).

My last post was about a plant that prefers dry, sunny conditions, while this one prefers wet, shady conditions. But honestly, they've both naturalized in sandy soil and dappled sun, so the only real difference is the moisture level.



The flower of Spotted Jewelweed has a trumpet shape, with a curly tail at the base. A sack within the flower contains a fungicide that is said to soothe Poison Ivy (I've never had it after numerous encounters, so I've never tried this).

This wildflower, though native to our area, can be aggressive under the right conditions, so we'll keep it in check. This link includes some fun stories about Jewelweeds at The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis.



Here you see the reason for the name Jewelweed.



While I was watching, several bumbles crawled deeply into the flowers for pollen and nectar. They fit perfectly in the trumpet. Apparently, Hummingbirds often visit Spotted Jewelweed, too, and they prefer it over the Yellow Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida). I didn't see any hummingbirds on the Jewelweed during our last visit, but I can see why they would like it.



This photo shows the various stages of the flower and seeds--from small pale buds to bright orange flowers to developing seedpods.

The behavior of the seedpods is the source of the plants' other nickname: Touch-Me-Not. If you brush against them or touch them, when fully ripe, they explode--spewing their seeds an impressive distance (several feet).



This seedpod isn't ripe, but pinching it will show how the pod curls back, releasing the seeds.



Here's the curled seedpod after the experiment.

I tried to load a video showing this explosive action, so we shall see if it works:

There you have it: Spotted Touch-Me-Not, aka Spotted Jewelweed. I'm linking in with Gail's Wildflower Wednesday over at Clay and Limestone. Head on over to her blog to learn about wildflowers from around the world.

Next up: my "Garden Lessons Learned" for the summer of 2014. What have you learned this season (summer, for those in the Northern Hemisphere; winter for those in the Southern Hemisphere)? I hope you'll join in!

Plant of the Month: Purple Love Grass

I'm starting to appreciate grasses more. I think this new appreciation started at Kew Gardens in London (you can click the link to read a previous post about it). Scott Weber's blog at Rhone Street Gardens also provides continuous inspiration regarding the beauty and creative uses of grasses in a garden setting.

Lovely view we happened upon during a hike earlier this summer.

One of my favorite native, local grasses is Purple Love Grass (Erogrostis spectabilis). (Isn't that a great Latin name?)



When oblique late-summer light hits it just right, Purple Love Grass is a stunning sight to behold.

Bright pink cloud.

Depending on its stage during the growing season and the way the light hits it, tufts of this grass appear bright green, purple, pink, or bright pink.

Our meadow: E. spectabilis starting to brown, but still lovely.

Interestingly, we have a naturally occurring patch of it up at the cottage. It stretches through our property, between the properties of the neighbors on both sides. They were friends--two couples who've since moved away and/or moved on. But the Purple Love Grass remains. Isn't that sweet?

The neighbors had asked if we minded if they walked through our property to visit each other, and we said "No problem, feel free!" I'm glad, because this beautiful grass, along with a collection of mostly native perennials has created a lovely meadow where their path once traveled.

Purple Love Grass is native to much of the Eastern U.S.--from the Dakotas and points east, south to Arizona, Texas, and Florida. It's also native in parts of Mexico, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. It prefers sandy or well-drained soil, with dry to medium precipitation. It grows best in sunny locations. It tolerates drought and Black Walnut trees (which we have in abundance at the cottage).

The foliage reaches a height of about 10 inches. Then, in late summer pinkish/purple flowers appear, and form a cloud of beauty up to a height of about two feet.

Another attribute--Purple Love Grass is photogenic:

August GBBD: Blooms From A to Z

The Latin names for today's plants progress from A to Z: from Agastache to Zinnia (although a few letters are missing).

I'm squeaking by with a Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post. On the 15th day of each month, gardeners around the world share what's blooming in their gardens.

Here in Southern Wisconsin, USA, it's been an incredible summer! A little challenging for the plants, with record rainfall in June, and nearly no precipitation in July. But the temperatures have remained around 80F/27C nearly all summer. Some plants don't mind the fluctuations in precipitation, especially with those mild temps.

Here are some highlights in my garden this month, from A to Z:



Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee') is new to my garden. I thought it might be too shady here, but it's getting just enough dappled sun and seems quite happy. I'm thinking I should deadhead these to encourage more blooms through the fall.



I missed these guys last year--'Rocket Mix' Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus). This cultivar creates various colored blooms that get quite tall and are fabulous cut flowers. I pinch them off early in the growing season for larger late-summer blooms. These flowers are just getting going and will bloom until frost in October.



We had a bit of an accident earlier in the summer when an unnamed family member knocked over the tops of some of these Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) stems. But that's OK: This created more stems that will bloom in progression during the coming weeks. This plant is a bee, butterflly, hummingbird, and White-Lined Sphynx moth magnet. Of course, as a Milkweed, it's a larval host for the Monarch, and I seem to be seeing at least one Monarch butterfly on it each day lately. It has a beautiful vanilla scent.



The Meyer Lemon (Citrus x meyeri) seemed a little shocked when we moved it outside in May. A few Lemons remain and are getting larger. Meanwhile, it's adjusting well now and has quite a few new blooms.



I could fawn over this flower for hours, but I won't. Suffice it to say, I can't imagine a summer garden without Cosmos bipinnatus. It never fails, and it's one of the best cut flowers around--just plop some in a vase for several days of beauty.



The Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are fading a bit but still attracting many pollinators, like this Goldenrod Soldier Beetle. It's fun to watch them landing on and traversing the cones.



One of my top performers every summer is Fuchsias in hanging baskets. This year, I selected 'Marinka,' which has been blooming nonstop since mid-May. I might even try bringing a couple of the baskets indoors (in the sunroom) this winter to keep the Meyer Lemon company.



Last year, I took a break with Impatiens because of the downy mildew plaguing them across the country. But I missed them, so I planted 'Fiesta Pink Ruffle' amongst several other potted plants this year. It reminds me of a delicate Rose, and seems quite hearty.



The Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus) blooms are reaching for the sun at the top of my obelisk. They attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. These plants got a bit of a late start, but I hope they'll continue to bloom and produce their pretty purple beans into the fall until the frost.



The Lantanas (L. camara 'Lucky Flame') are performing surprisingly well this summer, and are attracting butterflies and bees. I only discovered this annual plant a few years ago, but now it's one of my favorites.



'Blazing Star' Liatris (L. spicata) is winding down, but still attracting pollinators. Soon I'll deadhead the faded blooming stalks, because I'm not crazy about how they look when they're brown and dry. Plus, the garden has plenty of "winter interest" blooms that will remain standing.



The Resurrection Lilies (Lycoris squamigera) seem to be blooming early this year. These flowers seemingly appear out of nowhere in late summer--from foliage that goes dormant after the spring. Also called "Naked Ladies" and "Magic Lilies," among other nicknames, they're lovely in dappled sunlight. They weren't even visible in my garden earlier this week.



Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are another favorite of the Goldenrod Soldier Beetles. They're a cheery focal point in my garden during the late summer.



This variegated Sweet Potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) is a great companion to the Fuchsias in my hanging baskets. The delicate white and yellow flowers come and go, while the foliage is visually appealing throughout the growing season.



And finally, the Zinnias (Z. elegans 'State Fair Mix')! I missed them last year, and I'm so glad I included them this year. It's been a challenging year for them with the fluctuating precipitation, but they're coming on strong now--just in time for some fabulous late-summer, early fall floral bouquets.

Thanks for visiting! Head on over to May Dreams Gardens to find out what's blooming in other gardens around the world. Thanks to Carol for hosting!

Tree following: nuts, nuts, everywhere

The ground underneath a Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) tree is a dangerous place to be during late summer and early fall--particularly if you have a sizeable squirrel population in your neighborhood. Many times I've come close to getting bopped on the head by falling nuts!

I'm joining in Loose and Leafy's "Tree Following" meme, and my posts each month are about our Shagbark Hickories.



I suppose the Hickory nut drop probably wouldn't cause serious damage to my head--and might even knock some sense into me. But it can be quite a surprise to see the moderately sized nuts (one to two inches in diameter) dropping from several yards up in the tree.

Someone asked me in the comments of an earlier post if I harvest and eat the Hickory nuts. The answer is "no." And the main reason is that the squirrels get to them first! Even before the nuts are full-size the squirrels gnaw on the branches to dislodge the nuts.

Occasionally, I manage to grab a few nuts as they drop before the squirrels snatch them up, but the nutmeats are quite small at this stage, and hardly worth all the effort for a few bites.

Here are a few observations:



Evidence of a squirrel party;



More evidence;



More evidence;



Fresh nuts;



Nuts dried for about a week.

I've read that you should dry the nuts in the sun for two weeks and the husks will naturally pull away from the nut. But if I leave them outside, the squirrels will get them!

So I've been drying them inside in a sunny window for about a week. They're not quite ready, but I'll break them open so you can see what's inside.



Sliced and partially peeled hull;



Hulled Hickory nut in the shell;



And cracked open.

You can see that the nutmeats themselves are rather small. If they had a chance to grow larger before the squirrels got them, however, they might be more substantial and tasty.

The taste?



Apparently, this little fellow thinks they're delish.

Personally, I find them ... rather bland. But maybe if I'm able to get some larger ones and let them dry a little longer, I'll be a convert.



So, that's a brief update on the Shagbarks. The leaves are still deep green and not much sign of changing color. One could say the trees are at the peak of their productivity--providing food, beauty, shade, and shelter all at the same time.

To read about trees other bloggers are following, visit Lucy at Loose and Leafy.

Hey, this is my tree!!