Have not seen this before. The length of the spur and leaves suggest Impatiens capensis. Perhaps a chance mutation or a hybrid with I. balsamina (don't actually know if they can interbreed).

Very cool!

Looks like there's orange ones in the background, maybe they know something.

I think it is either Impatiens capensis forma albiflora or Impatiens capensis forma Pease.

From the New York Flora Association - New York State Museum Institute NYFA Newsletter:

"The flower of orange jewelweed is predominantly orange and the typical form is known as Impatiens capensis forma capensis. However, other color forms exist in our Northeastern flora, including form albiflora, flowers white, spotted with red; froma Pease, flowers white with large patches of red; forma citrine, flowers lemon-yellow with spots of red; form immaculate Âflowers orange with spots (Gleason 1963, Nozzolillo 1983)."

How about Impatiens Balfourii?

Thank you all for reading this, responding, and offering your suggestions!

Susanc, thank you very much for the link. I have to agree. The plant & flowers were very much like I. capensis (which is in the background as bboy pointed out!) save the color of the blooms. I suspect that you are right and it may be one of the two color forms noted.

It was a fun and unexpected find - one I thought you might enjoy seeing too given the uncommon nature of it. And I had no doubt the folks here could point me in the right direction for more information. The breadth and depth of knowledge here is amazing!

FataMorgana

I know it's a long time since your report but I was wondering if you have seen this color variant again in recent years. It would be interesting to see if this is a stable color form or just a chance happening?? Thanks for any info, Mark (wildflowerman_2000)

Looks more like I. glandulifera in the flower. Don't know how it got there, because it's not native. I suppose it can possibly be a mutation of a native, or someone threw some glandulifera seeds out there thinking they were improving on Mother Nature. Bad idea ! Impatiens glandulifera has because an extremely invasive, noxious weed in the U.K. and PNW !

Did you have a chance to compare it's foliage with the capensis and pallida ? Your link is a pdf file. I think I get charged for those. I read the article. It's very interesting. If it is an I. pallida variation, what would you do then ? Collect seeds to grow out, and try to perfect the mutation though selected offspring ? Could it be possible that a bee visited an I. glandulifera flower in a garden, and then deposited the pollen onto a wild I. pallida ?

FataMorgana's presence on the forums is sporadic at best these days, much to everyone's shagrin. We may be waiting quite a while to hear anything back.

An old post. But it isn't I glandulifera.

Why in the world? Fatsmorgana, I hope an update is forthcoming ! Mac, check out Kens video on my Calystegium post. It made me think of you.

That was also not the video I was expecting. That may be the best version of that meme I have seen yet.

I think Fatamorgana mentioned some health concern last we spoke. Hopefully the problem is not long lived so that Fatamorgana may live long.

Glad you liked it. Fatamorgana, hope you are feeling better soon. Happy I wasn't around when this was posted. With my obsession with wild Impatiens the wait would have been horrible. Really would love to hear the final verdict on what the plant was, and what became of it.

Note the spelling of Fatamorgana. It's a type of mirage, if memory serves.