Red-Spotted Purple on Jewelweed

It was morning, and my husband was in the yard doing something. He came to the front door and hollered for me to come and see the butterfly. And so I did.

And this was the sight that awaited me at the edge of the hedge. A red-spotted purple was posing prettily for me, as it dried its wings in the morning sun. The orange flowers are jewelweed, also known as touch-me-not.

In the early years of owning our house, I spent at least one evening a week whacking what I thought were weeds. I trimmed them until my arms were sore.The place was covered in jewelweed and I thought they looked untidy. I tried to keep them under control: I whacked, I pulled, we mowed.

But now I know that jewelweed is an important late-season food source for the pollinators. I can hear the hum of busy bumblebees before daylight even hits them. There is jewelweed in every nook and cranny of the yard. I've never seen it grow so tall. I smile to see (and hear) the hummingbirds sipping from every shapely orange bloom.

Yes, we are wiser now. We mow less frequently; we cultivate our wild native flowers. They are not weeds. They are delicious food and shelter for our winged friends. We let them grow. For the birds. For the bees. And for the butterflies.  :-)

The song has to include the word jewels, so here is John Mellencamp, with Suzanne and the Jewels.