Impatiens capensis is especially attractive to hummingbirds but it also attracts insect pollinators and others, some of which are seen in this video. Although it is an annual, this native plant persists in the landscape through self-seeding, and in optimum conditions can spread aggressively. Video © 2020 Mary Free
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
The showy flowers of this native annual dangle on slender stalks mid- summer to early fall along stream banks and in open swamps, moist meadows, and marshes throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. Water droplets captured on its leaves glisten, giving rise to its common name, Jewelweed. The violent dispersal of seeds from ripe capsules, which burst open upon contact, give it another common name, Touch-me-not.
Print Version (Legal Size): Impatiens capensis (Orange or Spotted Jewelweed)
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: Tried and True Plant Fact Sheets