northeast-flora-and-fauna

From Common Jewelweeds to Ebony Jewelwings  (not to mention Ruby-throated Hummingbirds ,  Golden-backed Snipe Flies , Great Golden Digger Wasps , and Silver-spotted Skippers ), there's treasure out in nature. These damselflies (relatives of, but not dragonflies) are likened to jewels because of the blue-to-green sheen that the males have. (Females look similar except they lack the sheen.) Odonates seem to have different preferences regarding perches. Many like low branches over water, others like hanging on reeds at/near water, a few are happy on the ground, and others seem content near to top of smallish plants. I'll frequently see Common Jewelwings on the leaves of low-hanging trees and shrubs. (Of course there are places they could be hanging out that I wouldn't notice, like if they enjoyed the top of tree canopies.) June 21, 2023 at Fairview Farm Photo 301211287, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's a Common Jewelweed from last spring. Besides what I've said in the previous post/link, there's a fair amount to like about these wildflowers. They are basically natives [1], they generally produce a high-sugar nectar that powers our pollinator friends, and they're actually pretty good at competing against aggressive invasive plants like Garlic Mustard . It makes me wonder whether we should be trying to plant jewelweeds wherever Garlic Mustard is dominating the ecosystem; maybe we could restore a native ecosystem with the help of these guys. (Of course, nothing is stopping the jewelweeds from growing where the Garlic Mustard is, so maybe their ability to compete against Garlic Mustard is overrated.) June 20, 2023 at Washington Valley Reservoir Photo 301113330, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] It's been said that the jewelweeds are fairly good at hybridizing amongst themselves, so it's possible that some of the jewelweeds you see might h...

Here's another dampness-loving native wildflower: Common Jewelweed . Or at least I think it is; the Pale Jewelweed is pretty similar: Common Jewelweed is supposed to have orange, clearly spotted flowers while the Pale Jewelweed is supposed to be a pale yellow with more subtle spots. My interpretation of my wildflower is that it's vibrant yellow with a hint of orange, so I think this is supportive of it being a Common Jewelweed. The leaves of the Pale Jewelweed are supposed to be nearly as wide as they are long (though some pictures seem to suggest otherwise), so I think the leaves are more supportive of the Common Jewelweed too. It sounds like the Pale Jewelweed is a somewhat larger plant with somewhat smaller flowers. It's hard to judge size by this picture, so I'd consider this to be inconclusive. I read afterwards that they both have a little "spur" underneath the flowerhead, and that in the Common Jewelweed the spur is bent more so that the end of it is p...