Jewelweed sightings are spiking across nature apps right now
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
The orange, spotted flowers popping up along your local creek or shady trail edge right now are jewelweed, a native plant traditionally rubbed on skin to soothe poison ivy rashes and a favorite nectar stop for hummingbirds.
Jewelweed is a native wildflower with orange, trumpet-shaped blooms that grow in wet, shady spots like streambanks and forest edges. Right now it's peaking, and over 1,150 people uploaded verified photos of it to iNaturalist this week alone. If you've noticed its seed pods that pop open when you touch them, that's the plant everyone's suddenly spotting.
Key Findings
1,151 research-grade observations of common jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) were logged in one week
The species ranked among the most-observed plants on iNaturalist during this period
High observation volume reflects both peak seasonal bloom timing and the plant's easy identifiability
chevron_right Technical Summary
Common jewelweed is having a big moment on iNaturalist, with over 1,150 verified sightings logged this week, showing just how widespread and easy to spot this plant is in late summer.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: common jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) — 1151 observations this week
common jewelweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 1151 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Impatiens capensis, the orange jewelweed, common jewelweed, spotted jewelweed, jewelweed, spotted touch-me-not, or orange balsam, is an annual plant in the family Balsaminaceae that is native to North America. It is common in bottomland soils, ditches, and along creeks, often growing side by sid...