While walking along the Grand River near St. Jacob’s recently, I encountered a large quantity of Eutrochium maculatum.

This plant grow well in marshes, meadows, wet prairies and fields, shores, bogs and fens and other wettish habitats.

Curiously, the common name of this plant is Joe-pye-weed.

Joe Pye (or Jopi) was a Native American in the 1800’s. He used this perennial plant to cure typhus in the 1800’s. He was so associated with it that it began to be called Joe-pye-weed.

 This is a hardy perennial that blooms when many other plants are finished and it lasts until the first hard frost. When made into a tea, it has many health benefits.

The word “weed” has come to refer to plants which are undesirable. Clearly Joe-pye-weed is not a “weed” in this sense.

Other plants along the Grand River:

NATURE POETRY

Summer, fall, winter, spring,
The seasons rotate as each brings
Its special beauty to this Earth of ours.    – Edna Frohock (1906–1997)

Miles Hearn