Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake From All-Creatures.org Art and Photo Journals and Galleries Directory

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Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
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(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 01) 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.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 02) 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.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 03) 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.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 04) 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.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 05) 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".

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 07) 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".

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 08) In this photo we can see a newly opened jewelweed flower and a flower bud.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 09) In this photo, we can clearly see that the jewelweed flower is attached to the stem at the top of the flower's opened end.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 10) This is another photo showing the jewelweed flower's attachment to it's stem.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 11) This is another patch of jewelweed in which we can see the stages of flowering from bud to seed pod.

(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 12) In this photo we have a closer look at the spotted touch-me-not seed pods. When they are dry, they explode their seeds out when touched.

| Wild Flowers of SHL: Photo Identification, Common Name, Scientific Name | Art and Photos |

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Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake From All-Creatures.org Art and Photo Journals and Galleries Directory

Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) Table of Contents

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Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake From All-Creatures.org Art and Photo Journals and Galleries Directory

Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
Table of Contents