Red Deadnettle

Continuing my encounters last April at the Raritan River Greenway [1], here's an abundant, early-flowering plant I saw. It's almost certainly a Red Deadnettle (aka Purple Deadnettle aka Purple Arcangel aka Red Henbit aka Deadnettle), but the plant is similar to and related to the Common Henbit (aka Greater Henbit aka Henbit Deadnettle aka Henbit). Much of what is true about Red Deadnettle is also true about Common Henbit.

Unlike Stinging Nettle but similar to Carolina Horsenettle, Red Deadnettle and Common Henbit are not nettles. Red Deadnettle and Common Henbit are instead mints. (Carolina Horsenettle is a nightshade.) They also don't sting the way nettles do; the name "deadnettle" came about because they look a bit like a nettle but with "dead stingers". The name "henbit" comes from its tendency to be eaten by chickens.

Both Red Deadnettle and Common Henbit are native to Eurasia and North Africa but can now be found across much of North America (among other places). While it's easy to find fault with any invasive species, these 2 plants are far from the worst offenders. They can be eaten by most omnivores and herbivores (including humans [2]), they are an early pollen/nectar source for pollinators, and birds can/will eat their seeds [3].

April 24, 2023 at the Raritan River Greenway
Photo 272683330, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] The Raritan River Greenway is the name of at least 2 trails along the Raritan River in my area. This part goes from around South Bridge Street to Raritan Valley Park. There might be an intention of eventually connecting them, though I suspect there's private property in between that precludes this.

[2] Before running out and gobbling up the deadnettle/henbit in your yard or park, you should make sure that pesticides or other human pollutants haven't been introduced into the environment. The plant itself isn't naturally poisonous, but it sure will be poisonous if it's been doused with rat poison.

[3] It's not clear to me that all the pollinators and birds know that these plants are a good food source, though it sounds like at least some of them have figured it out. That's the tricky thing about some invasive species: local animals frequently don't recognize their potential benefits.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tussock Moth Herd

Image
Some caterpillars are usually seen in large numbers (like Armyworm Moth caterpillars and Eastern Tent Caterpillars ), while most are more solitary. The Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars (more about them are here ) seem to be slightly social. I'll sometimes see them alone, but more often I'll see them in groups of 2-9 members. In the 1st picture below, you can see there is a clear size difference in some of these individuals. I'm almost certain the little one in the middle is in an earlier instar than the others (though they lack the colorful tufts of fuzz in their earliest instars). August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477945, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) In the picture below, it's clear that these caterpillars don't require a lot of personal space. August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477979, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Read more

Copper Underwing Caterpillar

Image
I believe this caterpillar to be a Copper Underwing [1]. At least the coloring and the dorsal hump (near the left end of the caterpillar) seem consistent with the Copper Underwing. These caterpillars are not what you'd consider picky eaters; my Caterpillars of Eastern North America describes their diet thusly: Many wooded plants including apple, basswood, blueberry, cherry chestnut, current, grape, greenbrier, hawthorn, hickory, lilac, maple, oak, poplar, raspberry, rhododendron, viburnum, Virginia creeper, and walnut. Wikipedia adds: Ash, privet, honeysuckle, rose, and service trees. That's a pretty wide range of trees and shrubs. One of the challenges of finding them is that they could be almost anywhere; the other challenges are: Their green coloring blends in pretty darned well with the average leaf. They have a habit of feeding underneath leaves, so they're probably not visible when looking down at their location. They have a tendency to move from leaf-to-leaf; if you
Read more

Eastern Pondhawks

Image
I'm going to try something different today with my Eastern Pondhawk pictures. I'm going to let ChatGPT do my blog today. (ChatGPT is an AI program that you can converse with in a pretty human way; an explanation of it is here .) Me:  Can you tell me something interesting about the Eastern Pondhawk? ChatGPT:  The Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) is a dragonfly species that is native to North America. It is a medium-sized dragonfly, with a wingspan of about 3 inches, and can be found in a variety of habitats, including wetlands, marshes, and ponds. One interesting characteristic of the Eastern Pondhawk is its mating behavior. Male Eastern Pondhawks are known for their territorial behavior and will defend their territory from other males. They will patrol their territory and will try to mate with any females that fly into their territory. Another interesting fact about the Eastern Pondhawk is that it is a fast flyer and is able to hover in midair. It is also an import
Read more