We’ll spend this week catching up on our review of the summer wildflowers found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Pale Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida) is also known as Pale Touch-Me-Not. This is a large plant, up to six feet, favoring moist, shady wooded areas. The name Jewelweed refers to its habit of accumulating water droplets on the leaves which reflect the light. The photo at right shows this transpiration occurring on a jewelweed leaf on a hot sunny day.
The juices of Jewelweed are reputed to be a soothing remedy for skin irritations. Look for it along the Newfound Gap Road or the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section during the summer.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
A friend and I drove the Rich Mountain trail today and were amazed at the abundance of these tiny wildflowers. They ranged from a pale yellow to a bright orange and some were a gradient of those colors on each bloom. Thank you for this wonderful reference with such beautiful photographs to enable the identification of the flowers in my favorite place in the world