Yellow Jewelweed
Scientific
Name: Impatiens pallida
Family:
Balsaminaceae (Jewelweed Family)
Habitat: Moist,
shady places
Blooms: June to
September
Walk along any
creek in our region and you will quickly find the orange flowers and
succulent stems of Spotted Jewelweed. Sit down nearby and before
you know it a Ruby-throated Hummingbird will flit out of the woods,
feathers sparkling brilliantly green and red in the sun, to dip its
long beak into the jewelweed flowers. Once the hummingbird has
moved on to the next plant down the line, I like to tap the seed cases
of the jewelweed lightly with my finger and watch them explode, sending
seeds in all directions --- no surprise that another common name for
jewelweed is touch-me-not.
The Yellow
Jewelweed found at Sugar Hill is slightly less common in our region
than its orange-flowered cousin. Beyond the flower color, the two
species are nearly interchangeable, although Yellow Jewelweed is more
likely to be found growing on shady, wet hillsides over
limestone. Even thick technical manuals like Strausbaugh and
Core’s Flora
of West Virginia wax eloquent when describing this lovely plant
--- “flowers pale yellow...hanging on their pedicels like jewels or
ladies’ earrings.” The Yellow Jewelweed might just make up for
the Wood Nettles you waded through
to reach it.
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