Impatiens Species, Pale Jewel Weed, Pale Touch-Me-Not, Yellow Jewelweed

This is my favorite woodland plant. I actually smile when I see it coming up. "Yellow Jewel" as I call it, is beneficial to lots of wild...Read Morelife. The nectar of the flowers attracts the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and bumblebees. I believe the large number of hummingbirds I have near my house is due to all the Yellow Jewel I have in my woods.

Yellow Jewel is also an important natural food source for deer and one of their favorite. They wait until the plant is about a foot high, then they chomp down and eat the top part - all the leaves and some of the stem. They do not pull the entire plant out, so the plant itself is not destroyed and will grow back (nature's pruners). The stem of Yellow Jewel is very juicy. Hit one with a weed wacker and you'll see what I mean. Makes me wonder if it's a water source for them. Deer lose interest in Yellow Jewels at the end of summer. Especially if the plant is in a mostly sunny area, it becomes quite large and at the end of the season the stem loses that tender, juicy quality the deer's love.

Also loved by rabbits! Today I saw a rabbit going from plant to plant munching on Yellow Jewel leaves. She would eat half the leaves on a plant (not the stalk) and move on to the next Yellow Jewel.

The juice of this plant (found in the stem) is also quite beneficial to humans. Break one open and rub it on your skin to relieve the itchiness of poison ivy or the sting of stinging nettle.

The caterpillars of various moths feed on the foliage, including Euchlaena obtusaria (Obtuse Euchlaena), Spilosoma latipennis (Pink-Legged Tiger Moth), Trichodezia albovittata (White-Striped Black), and Xanthorhoe lacustrata (Toothed Brown Carpet). The large seeds are eaten by various gamebirds, including the Ruffed Grouse, Ring-Necked Pheasant, Greater Prairie Chicken, and Bobwhite Quail. The White-Footed Mouse also eats the seeds.

Lastly, I leave you with this passage about Yellow Jewel from the website hort.net:
"The near translucent stalks glow luminously as they hold aloft a canopy of soft green leaves glittering with dew hence the common name, 'Jewelweed.' Children will delight in touching the ripe fruit, sending forth an explosive shower of seeds throughout the area. Finally, the toughness of this species lends itself well for even the most difficult corners of a garden."

Here in lower Connecticut, it is a weed. I am forever pulling it up, but they certainly aren't as invasive as a lot of other plants, and...Read More they are pretty. They are growing in a very rocky area with clay soil, and if I wasn't attempting to grow ivy there i would be tempted to just let it have its run of things.

Pretty plant but too much of a good thing can be unsightly and Jewelweed can be a tad weedy. For what it's worth, they pull out very eas...Read Moreily by hand if you notice overcrowding. Oddball deal with this plant is that you can use the juice to relieve the itch of poison ivy and the burning of stinging nettle (which coincidentally often share the same habitat) but if you or your animals eat any of the leaves, you will probably be quite sick for a while.

This plants' habit is to grow under and along the edges of thickets, in dappled light to full shade. Often found in and around the edges ...Read Moreof moist woods and damp meadows.

It should be a warning to you that poison ivy could be growing nearby; as well as other plants that may have thorns.