Babs Young writes: Here’s a Monarch butterfly but I have no idea the identity of the plant. Well now. I happen to know some people who love a challenge. But before we put you to work, you get to see the photo. It’s only fair.
You can click on the image for a really big version. Then you can consult your favorite wildflower guides in an effort to figure out what the plant is. I will give you a head start. It is not a commoner. Have fun.
Posted in: Babs Young photos
Torch Lake Views 
shoreacres
July 22, 2012
OK – I’ll give it a shot. Is it Joe Pye Weed? I couldn’t figure out the “not a commoner” bit, but then I think I did – but I’ll sit on that in case you want to provide the details!
Gerry
July 23, 2012
“Like!” 🙂
Martha
July 22, 2012
The things I thought it was it is not. It’s late and I’m clueless. I pass the torch…
Gerry
July 23, 2012
“Like!” again 🙂
Babs Young
July 23, 2012
I do believe that Joe-Pye weed is correct. Several have written me.
Gerry
July 23, 2012
And “Like!” yet again:)
Martha
July 23, 2012
It has the leaf of a swamp milkweed, but that’s not it either!
Gerry
July 23, 2012
I thought so too, but it seems the flowers of the swamp milkweed are nearly red. Ah well. “Like!” anyway 🙂
flandrumhill
July 29, 2012
My guess is a light purple-pink swamp milkweed. You can see an image of it at the bottom of the page at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_milkweed
I have a Monarch Guide published by the Canadian Nature Federation which lists the adult monarch’s favorite blooms. The guide’s photo of the swamp milkweed is a deeper pink than the one in Babs’ photo but the description mentions that the clusters are ‘flesh-colored.’ You know how Nature loves variety.
Fee
July 23, 2012
I’ll tell you what it is – pretty. My botanical knowledge rarely extends beyond “weed” or “flower” or “edible”. But I’m happy in my ignorance, and will gladly stay there.
Gerry
July 23, 2012
There you go. An indisputably correct answer. Pretty it is. “Like!” 🙂
Martha
July 23, 2012
OK. I have to go with some type of Joe Pye, too. It was my first thought and Monarchs love them, but the leaves, the head- not typical. Those are awfully slim leaves. Since you said it’s not “a commoner” that means it’s a hybrid. So I rest my case. It’s a Joe Pye.
Gerry
July 23, 2012
Actually . . . all I really meant was that it was not the Common Milkweed, which is the first thing everyone thinks of when they see Monarchs. I was comforted by “not typical.” That surely means that it’s OK to call it Joe-Pye weed. Or perhaps Eupatorium atypicum.
shoreacres
July 23, 2012
Here you go – the information I found that makes this “not a commoner”! You can find the whole article here.
The genus Eupatorium… honors Mithradates VI Eupator, king of Pontus (an ancient country in northern Anatolia in Asia Minor), who died in 63 b.c. The king is remembered among botanists and toxicologists for having been “one of the first to study intensively the art of poisoning and the preparation of antidotes.” He is said to have immunized himself against poison by taking increasingly large, nonlethal doses. One plant he experimented with is supposed to have been a member of the genus.
About five species of North American eupatoriums are known as Joe-Pye weeds. The origin of the common name is uncertain. The most prevalent theory holds that it refers to a Colonial-era Native American named Joe Pye, who is said to have used one of the species to cure typhus. Another is that Joe Pye was a nineteenth-century white “Indian theme promoter” who used the root of one of the species to induce sweating in cases of typhus. The earliest use of this name dates to 1810–1820.
Gerry
July 23, 2012
As always, readers astonish me with riches. One of the things I found by following shoreacres’s link was this: “They hybridize widely in nature, making identification a challenge even for botanists.” That is a great comfort, for as we all know, I am no botanist.
I wonder if I could “like” comments? Hmmmm…
Martha
July 23, 2012
And….you’re sending out prizes?
Gerry
July 23, 2012
‘Course. Lessee . . . kisses from the Cowboy? A spin-dance on the beach with Miss Sadie! Complimentary tickets to the opening of “Ladies of the Lakes” at the Elk Rapids Area Historical Museum–all about the women lighthouse keepers of the Great Lakes.
Martha
July 23, 2012
So much to choose from!
sybil
July 24, 2012
“Like”
Eldon McPherson
July 25, 2012
Great picture!
Gerry
July 25, 2012
Thanks, Eldon. I hope you were able to get over to the Wilkinson.