Finding Golden Treasure

Finding gold is easy around here right now.  It's everywhere, from acres covered with blooming Goldenrod-- to Goldfinches at the bird feeders with their fledglings.  Today I'm going to write about a less noticeable, but equally beautiful treasure.

 They are less noticeable because in flower size they are out shined by the previously mentioned Goldenrod.  They do grow in large patches in wet areas and can grow from 2 to 5 feet tall, but the flowers are only about an inch long.  Unless you look up close you won't really see their beauty.

So let's look up close at some Orange Jewelweed.  

It's also called Spotted Jewelweed.  You can certainly see why!

 Another common name is Touch-me-not.  You can't see why in the photos but here's a link to a video that shows why.  The video shows a seed capsule exploding in slow motion! (my, the wonders of YouTube!)

Here's what the seed capsules look like before they pop:

And here's what they look like after:

We've talked about some common names of the plant-- here's its scientific name: Impatiens capensis  Yes, it's related to our garden Impatiens. Both like shade and moist soil.  And both have the "touch-me-not" seed pods.

Impatiens showing a popped seed pod, and one almost ready to pop!

The Impatiens seed capsule does look a little different from the Jewelweed pod after it explodes. 

Both of them do this neat trick to spread their seeds.  However, it's also a lot of fun for little children to hunt for them and make them pop!  (possibly even fun for 'children' of any age! Right, Laura?)

Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the subject of my last post, like to drink from the Orange Jewelweed flowers.  And another good thing to know about them is that if your skin is itchy, you can break open the Jewelweed stem and rub the juice on it to relieve the itch.  It seems to work!

Another thing I love about jewelweed is that their foliage tends to 'bead up' with drops of water.  (pun intended).

So pretty!

 Don't overlook these lovely jewels!