Spotted Jewelweed

You'll notice a common theme to my posts this week. With no end to the gas crisis in sight, Doughboy and I stayed close to home this past weekend. This is abnormal since we are typically on the go. If a gas station was fortunate to have a supply of gas, invariably the lines were long as frantic customers lined up. People are crazy! Oh well, deperate times call for desperate measures. I was lucky to locate a station with a short line and filled my car. My full tank ought to get me through the week.

Anyway, the weekend weather was spectacular and we took several drives along the neighborhood path with our golf cart. Even Doughboy didn't criticise my numerous stops to photograph flowers and bugs (as compared to this post). My bloggy friend Kate, at Chronicles of a Country Girl, identified the Jewelweed from a previous photo post (here). Thanks, Kate! There are large bushes of this delicate flower close to the bridge that connects the two phases of our neighborhood together. Jewelweeds prefer marshy areas and will bloom until late fall.

The striking orange flowers of the Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) tell half of the plant's story. Look, but do not touch, often explains the other half of the plant's story, because it is also called a touch-me-not flower. The plant's seed pods pop whenever they are approached by humans, animals or birds.

Jewelweed is also celebrated as a natural treatment for skin rashes caused by poison ivy and mosquito bites. When you are out in the field and find you have been exposed to poison ivy, oak, or stinging nettle you can reach for the Jewelweed plant and slice the stem, then rub its juicy inside on exposed parts. This will promptly ease irritation and usually prevents breakout for most people. Regardless of the plant's medicinal value, it is still a fun and fine looking flowering plant.