Here’s a beautiful flower that used to stump me every year when I found it near the bridge at Jennings Prairie.
This is Hairy Willow Herb (Epilobium hirsutum), a plant in the Evening Primrose family that stands two to six feet tall. Like all Primroses, the flowers have a distinctive cross-shaped pistil. This should have tipped me off.
Hairy Willow Herb can be invasive, though it was well behaved when I first found it years ago. I wonder if it’s gone crazy now in the wetland under the bridge.
If you’d like to find out, join the Wissahickon Nature Club at Jennings Prairie tomorrow at 10:00am for a bird and wildflower outing lead by Esther Allen, Chuck Tague and Dianne Machesney. For information and directions, click on the “Nature Walks” link here or call Susanne at 412-771-4737.
(photo by Dianne Machesney)