Jewelweed is having a big week in the wild
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
The orange, spotted flowers dangling along shady creek edges and roadside ditches right now are jewelweed, a native plant whose crushed leaves have long been used to soothe poison ivy rashes and stinging nettle contact.
Jewelweed is a native wildflower with orange, trumpet-shaped flowers that pop open like tiny snapping jaws when you touch their ripe seed pods, which is how it got the nickname 'touch-me-not.' Right now it's one of the most-spotted plants on iNaturalist, with over 1,100 people logging sightings in a single week. That kind of spike usually means it's in peak bloom, so if you walk near a stream, wetland, or shady forest edge this week, there's a good chance you'll see it too.
Key Findings
1,124 research-grade observations of common jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) were logged on iNaturalist in one week
The species ranked among the most-observed plants on the platform during this period
High observation volume suggests the plant is currently at or near peak bloom across much of its range
chevron_right Technical Summary
Common jewelweed is popping up everywhere right now, with over a thousand sightings logged by citizen scientists this week alone. It's a sign this native wildflower is hitting peak bloom across its range.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: common jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) — 1124 observations this week
common jewelweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 1124 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...