Joe Pye Weed In The Mountains

Black -Eyed Susan

 

 

 

Rudbeckia hirta

On my drive home from North Carolina I kept to the mountain roads as long as possible , driving on the Gatlinburg bypass to Townsend and enjoying the scenery.  The rocky banks along the roadside, and the riverbanks  in the Smoky Mountains were full of one of my favorite late summer and early fall wildflowers.  Joe Pye weed ( Eupatorium fistulosum) is very tall, growing from 6 to 10 feet tall, the stalks are hollow, the flowers are large puffs of smoky lavender. It is a member of the aster family.  Several of my books say that it is named after a healer, Joe Pye who used the plant in his herbal potions in colonial times to treat typhoid fever.  It has been used to treat kidney stones and urinary tract infections. It likes to grow in moist areas in either full sun of part shade, and  is a good plant to use to attract butterflies to your garden.

I stopped at a  picnic area and park along the Little River for a little lunch break and exercise and walked across the bridge to a trail along the river.  As I walked and really looked carefully, I was excited to see Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), with its spikes of bright red flowers, growing down near the water. Cardinal flower likes damp soil and filtered light , or afternoon shade. It is another favorite of hummingbirds and blooms in late summer.

As I walked a little further on, there were some small starts of hearts a bursting (Euonymous americanus)  growing under the large trees along the river.  Hearts a Bursting, or strawberry bush is a lovely little shrub that has indistinct flowers in the spring, but has beautiful seed pods that resemble strawberries or hearts and burst open to reveal bright red seeds in the fall.  It also has bright foliage in the fall, and is a plus in any landscape, growing to from 4 to 6 ft. and spreading. It needs to be planted in part shade, and in rich , moist soil. 

There were also lots of asters and black-eyed susans, and Christmas ferns, and many butterflies flitting among the flowers.  The weather was perfect, and it was difficult to walk back over the bridge and get into the car to come home.  I knew that the longer I stayed, the more treasures I would notice.

( I put photos on my cell phone, and as soon as I figure out how to add them to my computer,  I will add them to this posting)


Enjoy the fall flowers!
Susan