Spotted touch-me-not, aka jewelweed, is flowering right now and preparing for its self-propelled seeds. This fascinating plant sports trumpet-shaped orange flowers with a fishhook-shaped portion at the back to hold nectar.
From start to finish, spotted touch-me-nots have fascinating flower development. They all begin as a pollen-producing male flowers, with the pollen-bearing stamens hidden at the front of the trumpet-shaped flowers. When a hummingbird flies up, inserts its beak, and bends its tongue through the 'fishhook' to get the nectar, it changes the shape of the flower and dabs pollen onto the forehead of the hummingbird.
As the flower ages, it develops into an ovary-producing female flower. When a hummingbird comes along to drink nectar, the process is reversed, pollen is deposited on the pistil (pollen-receiving part of the flower), and voila: Pollination has occurred!
Once pollinated, the flower drops its petals and begins creating its namesake self-propelled seed pods. If you examine a seed-bearing plant, you’ll notice small green banana-shaped pods on the plant. If you touch or brush past a ripe one, it will explode and shower seeds everywhere! It is an efficient seed dispersal system for the plant, and a lot of fun for playful people.
Topics
- Introduction (0:00-0:21)
- Goldenrods (0:21-3:31)
- Boneset (3:31-5:10)
- Spotted touch-me-not/jewelweed (5:10-8:21)
- Sow thistle (8:21-9:15)
- Birds (9:15-10:39)
- Insects (10:39-14:13, 14:45-15:48)
- Frogs (14:13-14:45)
- Berry season (15:48-18:24)
- Conclusion (18:24-19:00)
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, subscribe to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
