Sunrise on the Maumee

Sunrise on the Maumee

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Joe Pye Weed


     "There are two versions of how the joe-pye weed got its name. The most common one traces it to a 18th Century Native American medicine man named Joe Pye, who traveled the length of New England treating fevers — typhoid fever in particular — with an infusion made from the plant’s leaves. The other story asserts that joe-pye is a corruption of the Native American word for typhoid, jopi". (From The Field Notebook: field-notebook.com)


     Joe Pye Weed prefers more moisture than my garden normally provides, so I have "cheated" a bit by placing it next to my neighbors sprinkling system (located on the other side of the fence).  This is the third location I have tried with this particular plant, and it seems to be happy.  It is about 4 feet tall here.  It can grow several feet taller in the wild.


It is a great favorite with insects.  I'm awaiting an identification of this beautiful beetle from Bugguide.net.  


More on the bumblebee to follow!



1 comment:

  1. Jonna! I'm loving your posts. Everything from crunching cicadas to treating typhoid. And some very nice pixes. Nice shot of your ailanthus moth :) http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2010/07/13/ailanthus-webworm-moth-14/

    ReplyDelete