Along a shady creek you may find a leafy plant hung with small orange trumpets and, later in summer, plump green pods that burst at a touch. This is Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), also called spotted touch-me-not.
What it looks like
Jewelweed grows knee to waist high on translucent, watery stems that snap easily. The flowers are about 2 to 3cm long, orange with reddish spots, and hang from thin stalks like tiny lanterns with a curled spur at the back. The leaves are oval with soft teeth and shed water in silvery beads, which is where the name jewel comes from. Ripe seed pods are green and swollen and coil open the instant they are touched.
When and where
- Season: Mid to late summer
- Habitat: Wet woods, stream banks, shady ditches
- Best time: Late morning in damp shade
Seeds that spring away
The bursting pods are the plant's clever way of spreading seeds. When a ripe pod is bumped by rain, an animal, or a curious finger, the sides curl back in a flash and fling seeds a meter or more. Hummingbirds and long-tongued bees visit the spurred flowers for nectar and carry pollen between plants. Children love finding a ripe pod and feeling it snap in their hand.
Spot one this weekend
Jewelweed is Common. Follow a shady creek or damp trail in late summer and look for dangling orange flowers. Gently pinch a fat green pod and feel it pop, then watch the seeds scatter.