JOE PYE WEED

It's Flower Friday and this is today's Blip. Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum), is a common plant around in these parts particularly around ground water sources, especially streams.  Ask any fly fisherman how many times he's hooked one of these on his backcast....lol
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It's a perennial plant and belongs to the Family Asteraceae.  It is native to eastern and central North America, from Ontario east to New Hampshire and south as far as Florida, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.  This particular one lives along the banks of the Sheboygan Marsh in Wisconsin.
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Besides its beauty, it has a long history of medicinal uses and has been most commonly used as a diuretic but is also useful in treating kidney issues and even gout and rheumatism. 
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