Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) is a very common, very attractive and conspicuous species on the landscape. We see them often and are probably pretty familiar with the flowers, fruit and form. I see them down by the river, in the understory of thick forests, and sometimes on the edge of wet meadows. I have also been hanging out with them recently in areas which can be called “post-industrial wastelands”; lands where industry has so polluted and harmed that there are still pollutants and chemicals wrapped up in the soil. But still the Jewelweed thrives.

For this episode, like most episodes, I wanted to explore a little bit more about the Jewelweed I so commonly see. I wanted to ask some questions about the flower development, the explosive seed pods, and about a non-native cousin who seems to be showing up in places more commonly these days. I also dig in on the concept of “post-industrial wastelands” a little as these lands are probably very common across the Great Lakes Bioregion where I live.

Hope you enjoy the show!

To learn more :
Wild Urban Plants of the NorthEast by Peter Del Tredici. Cornell University Press, 2020.
The Book of Swamp and Bog by John Eastman. Stackpole Books, 1995.
Summer Wildflowers of the North East by Carol Gracie. Princeton University Press, 2020.