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Butterfly Garden

I confused Joe-Pye with Ironweed!!!

9 years ago

well they DO ...
Look a little alike! But I have this old book of Autochromes plates
And among over 200 color tinted photographs of wildflowers( most
Life-sized) I found Vernonia noveboracensis(Ironweed) on plate
227 7"x9" Autochrome photo.

Joe-Pye Weed(Purple Boneset) was on the next page(plate 228)
And titled Eupatorium purpureum Autochrome photo also 7" x9".

The difference between the two plants was very easy to see,and
I realize I have never seen a Joe-Pye Weed here on my place.

But I have started a lot of the IronWeed here in my yard,and
The butterflies are very fond of it!

Deer and wild rabbits will browse it some,so I cage it a lot;the
Plants are just now getting ready to make their purple-blue
Blooms.

This old hardcover book was published by MacMillan in 1935.
It is titled WILDFLOWERS by Homer D. house. The book has
Three hundred and sixty-four full color illustrations(Autochromes)
Plus text.The overall size of the book is abt 11"x 9".
I have not been thru all the plates yet.

DD

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Comments (9)

MissSherry
9 years ago
I bought and planted some ironweed in my garden this year, because I love the dark purple color of the flowers, and so do butterflies. The butterflies love joe-pye weed, too, but I don't like it as much - the flowers are sort of pale pink/mauve, and they get WAY too tall, always wind up bent over.

The colors in those old books aren't true, that's for sure!

Sherry
david883
9 years ago
I bought two Missouri Ironweeds last year. One is getting very tall (the other is behind due to lack of sun/constant moving) and I love them. More importantly, the butterflies do. We both win :)
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My 'Little Joe' is about 3-4 years old and each spring the new shoots come up several inches away from the previous year's. It seems to be a slow spreader, so it may eventually get beyond it's three foot allotted space. Just warning you. I didn't realize they were so hard (LOL) to dig up or divide. I have a 'Gateway' in my boulevard I want to donate to a plant sale next year. Fortunately it's only 2-3 years old or I might have had to resort to the dreaded "R" thing (Roundup). I had no idea they were that difficult. I had read about the various ironweeds being tough-rooted, but I have only had my (several) joe-pyes a few years. Thanks for the warning, everyone.
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I don't cut it back in the Spring, but I will clear away the dead stalks if I notice them. In all these years, I have never seen any seedlings; and this is the only wild Joe Pye I have. I have a small one I bought three years ago, I believe it's called "Chocolate Joe Pye"? Has deep purple/bronze foliage and white blooms. This year it is about 2 - 2.5' tall and about that big around. I saw three Monarchs just last evening down front, two of them battling it out, chasing and fluttering all around the redbud tree by the field. Probably one of the same in the courtyard garden this morning. How similar are the Viceroys? I was wondering if that is what I saw instead of Monarchs. For some reason I was thinking they have the same coloring but different markings?
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I haven't seen anyone mention it, but the chocolate eupatorium rugosum has had it's botanical name changed for quite a while now, and it is no longer classified as a joe pye weed. It's now called Ageratina altissima, chocolate white snakeroot, so any comments about the performances from the chocolates do not apply. Ageratina altissima contains the deadly toxic alcohol tremetol which can and has killed humans through injestion or from drinking milk from cows that ate the plant. Abraham Lincolns mother died from milk sickness. On the up side it's a very good pollinator plant for fall insects and it's flowers are clean. Not stunningly attractive but looks good in mixed groupings.
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Leafhead
9 years ago
I have both Joe-Pye and Ironweed. I love them both, and so do the butterflies. Any plant in this tribe within Asteraceae makes an excellent nectar source. That includes Liatris and Ageratum as well.

John
caterwallin
9 years ago
I'd gladly give my Joe Pye Weeds to someone who'd pay the postage to get them. They don't attract the butterflies at all here.
Cathy
KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
9 years ago
My ironweed always falls over sometime during the summer. Sometime during this past winter, I read somewhere about cutting them back in June to stop this. So, that is what I did. Waiting to see the results.
MissSherry
9 years ago
Hmmmmm.......mine are getting taller than I expected, KC. I hope they don't grow 10' tall like the joe pye weed!

Sherry
Slatewiper
9 years ago
I had to stake my ironweed the first year because they kept flopping over. From the second year onward they didn't need it.
Acadiafun
9 years ago
One way to combat the height of Joe-Pye weed is to cut it down to about three feet in early June. It will still flower and may not need staking.
docmom_gw
9 years ago
I have both, also. My Ironweed should bloom this year. The Joe Pye Weed has been a great general pollinator attraction, and it always has huge holes eaten from its leaves. So, some kind of larvae enjoy it. I like it as a tall backdrop for my other perennials. It provides a division between my front sunny bed and the shaded hosta/fern area under the evergreens.

Martha

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?what to do with this little guy?

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