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"And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.   And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31)

Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake
- Spotted Touch-Me-Not (Impatiens capensis) -
Also called as Jewelweed
(click on the photos or links to enlarge)

(No. 1) The early morning dewdrops on these spotted touch-me-not leaves glisten in the sunlight giving an added jewel-like quality to this species of Jewelweed.  There are five species of jewelweed.  Two of the species grow in the eastern United States and are known as touch-me-nots, because when touched, the ripe seed pods "explode" as a means of scattering their seeds.

(No. 2)  This small patch of spotted touch-me-not wild flowers was growing along the roadside.  The oval, rounded-toothed, alternating leaves help to identify this wildflower when it is not in bloom.  The spotted touch-me-not can grow to six feet in height.  We have observed that even though the spotted tough-me-not likes wet shady places, it still seeks the sunlight.  The plants seem to grow taller only when they are competing for light.  These plants, which had no competition for light, were not much over two feet in height.

(No. 3)  This is an approximately ten times enlargement of the face of the spotted touch-me-not flower.  The out of focus reflections from the dew drops give an ethereal quality to this photo.  The "bell" or "trumpet" shaped flower is formed by three petals.  The spotted touch-me-not blooms from June through September.

(No. 4)  The actual size of the spotted touch-me-not is about one inch long.  This enlarged photo is fifteen times that size, and depicts many other features of the wildflower.  Note that the stem and the sepal are attached near the "face" of the flower (photo-top), and that the petals extend downward to form the end of the "trumpet" or "spur".  The early morning dew has weighed down this flower, laying its head upon one of the leaves.  Dew drops glisten and form spherical reflecting mirrors as they hang from the lower edge of the leaf. 

(No. 5)  This spotted touch-me-not appears to face the new day with a giant yawn.  The scientific Latin name (as well as the common name) for these wildflowers is "Impatiens".  Its translation "impatient" seems to express its hurried way of scattering seeds "explosively".

(No. 7)  The red spots and the curled back "spur" are distinguishing characteristics of the spotted touch-me-not.   This wildflower has a less common close cousin, Impatiens pallida, which is a pale yellow species with a downward pointing "spur".

| Wild Flowers of SHL | Art and Photos |

If  you would like to contribute a photo and/or comment to these series, please contact;
Frank L. Hoffman flh@all-creatures.org

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