I have never seen the joe-pye weed growing in our yard as pretty as it is this year. I just love the way the nodding pinkish blooms hover over our back garden area.
The real name of the plant is Eupatoriadelphus-fistulosus but in my area it is much better known by the common names of joe-pye weed or my favorite name queen of the meadow.
This is certainly the time of the year for it to make its presence known. I not only see it in my mountain holler, but also on the roads I travel as I go to and fro. The blooms are certainly an indicator that fall of the year will soon arrive.
Bees, butterflies, and bugs are frequent visitors of the blooms. Every time I walk by the ones in our yard I smile at the hay day they are having and it seems I can hear them telling each other to hurry up and enjoy because the blooms are the last hurrah of summer before old man winter comes.
The common name queen of the meadow also makes me smile. The tall plants certainly “tower” over other vegetation near by.
When I look around and see so many of them the little girl in me wonders how they could all be queens.
They seem more like tall skinny old biddies. Each one bragging that they are the real queen of the meadow and they alone know the secret of impending cold weather. The irony of course being they are each in a meadow full of queens and every growing thing which surrounds them is shouting their secret of the coming death of winter.
Last night’s video: Why the Name Miss Cindy, Why Matt Doesn’t Play Pranks On Me, Strange Happenings in the Woods?
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There’s just one spot on the trails where Piper and I used to walk, where joe-pye weed and boneset grow together. I always enjoyed seeing them, and sketched them one time when they were blooming. It is a perfect combination – they set each other off beautifully. Do you have boneset in your neck of the woods? I’m still looking for your yellowroot up here but have not yet found it.
Quinn-we do have it here 🙂 I just need some to grow by my joe-pye weed!
I have so enjoyed discovering your blog and YouTube channel! I’m in north Alabama but my folks grew up around Bankhead Forest and I find many similarities in the language and food! I look forward to your new posts!
Queen of the Meadow! It is native here too in Pittsburgh, at the upper end of the range, and is a wonderful and proud darling of the late summer symphony.
And she shoots up so fast – you don’t even see them as seedlings in July.
Warm regards to all the meadow queens in your mountain meadows!
The butterfly is absolutely beautiful! How did the flowers get the name Joe-Pye? Are they named after a man?
I don’t think I’ve really heard of the Queen of the Meadow or Joe Pye weed until I watched your videos. I’m like you, I’d call it Queen of the Meadow too. It is very lovely.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Joe-Pye weed but I have to say yours is stunning! I love the picture of the butterfly enjoying one of the pretty blooms. It has to be wonderful to walk around in your own yard and see such beauty! Enjoyed last night’s video. We were sitting and watching it and I said, ” Matt sure looks so rested and even younger since he retired.” We realized about the same time ya’ll were talking about the facial hair that it was missing. 🙂 My husband always had a mustache and when our son was two, he shaved it off and he didn’t know his daddy, he ran from him. It was so funny but not to our son. Also enjoyed the girl’s video. I can relate to Corie, it’s not fun at all to get lost in a parking garage and tell Katie she’s looking wonderful and I’m so happy it’s a little boy. Prayers to Granny also. Have a wonderful day.
I noticed you go “to and fro”. I hear so many people say “back and forth”. I usually tell them “You have to go ‘to’ before you can come ‘back’.”
OOps correct spelling of Joe-Pye weed. Having a time with my spell check and fog brain this morn. Too many years of trying to speed read.
I really like this educational post on Joe-Pie weed. It makes me realize the lack of variety in lawns that are well manicured and have only well chosen plants. To each his own, but I long for the days when all the wild flowers and trees of nature were within walking distance of my back door. I can recall reaching down and breaking them off carelessly to make a path through what I only saw as weeds. Thanks to such easy access to information, I have learned to love studying about all the uses and variety of these plants. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, my yard has many nature offerings that I have been unable to stave off. I can so well remember the Joe-Pyle plant, but had never bothered to learn what it was. Thanks to your posts, I have taken a renewed interest in the world of nature around me. I bought seed and planted Malibar spinach and Purslane this year, but they were soon taken over by other interesting weeds I need to learn more about. :). Just when I think you most surely have covered all that is interesting about Appalachia, you surprise me with this post. Personally, I believe when mankind could not figure something out they just labeled it a weed.
They are one of my favorites but don’t grow here in Southern Middle Tn that I’ve seen. At first glance I thought that butterfly was a hen. Look at it with the red comb. Of course that was before I saw that it was on the Joe Pye.
The field beside my house is now full of yellow goldenrod with something white and purple iron weed mixed in as well as the milkweed we let grow for butterflies. It will be cut soon. Then I can watch deer and turkeys go to and fro down the hill to the creek. I’ve not noticed much color on the trees yet but leaves are falling and more openings appear through the trees with each rain.
So so beautiful. I love the quiet picture of your yard. I often take pictures of my yard and mountains much the same way. I live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California on a jagged mountain top, on the backside of Lake Tahoe. I own close to 80 acres and love to watch the changing seasons around me. Your Queen of the Meadow reminds me of the Queen Anne’s Lace that surrounds my house. Thank you for your post, Kelly Carlson
Tipper I felt like I was right there on that mountain with you and those beautiful blooms❣ God bless you and your beautiful family
Now you’re talking my kind of beautiful, untamed, skyward climbing Joe Pye weed! Ain’t it simply gorgeous and that butterfly enjoying himself atop the flowers really gives me inspiration to face another day! We could argue which is really the Queen of the meadow, but I nominate YOUR beloved and respected, not to mention wonderful mother is the REAL queen of the meadow this year! Will anybody second that emotion? The doctor called and my B 12 was so low they put me on shots for it twice a month. Who’d have guessed all my garden vegetable obsession would have led to pernicious anemia? I tell ya I already feel some better and have a little energy. It’s nice to PASS the bathroom and not have to visit in there for a change… May you be blessed this morning and please stop by without warning! (That means you come anytime.) Happy Joe Pye Weed Appalachian appreciation day!!!
Flowers that attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators are so lovely especially queen of the meadow. They are perennials and thats a good thing!
Have a great day. Sending blessings your way!
My Papaw used to tell me that Joe Pye cured Typhus with the flower and that is why it was named after him. Mamaw used to make tea from it to break a fever. Mine always needed extra honey. Granny always called it Meadowsweet.
We call them Joe Pye Weed here in Ohio. At least that’s all my family has ever called it. I’ve never heard Queen if the Meadow but I like that! Old Biddies would be a great name for them I can’t wait to plant some on our little property along with some goldenrod for that early fall show.
That is a pretty picture to see them along the bank behind your garden and bordering your yard. I never knew of these plants until your posts & videos. On my next hike, I will know to be on the look out for them now and hopefully recognize them so I can call them by name and see one close up. Plus, I put the “Picture This” app on my phone, thanks to you all too, to help me identify plants: )
Queen of the Meadow grows in great abundance here on the Cumberland Plateau. It is a beautiful plant.
Larry, where on the plateau? I’m down in Crossville quite a bit. Would love to find some!
Tipper, in addition to its beauty, Queen of the Meadow, holds powerful medicinal value. I know people who use tea made from the roots to dissolve and prevent the formation of kidney stones.
I like the name ‘queen of the meadow’ best too and they really are beautiful indicators of fall and the coming winter. This is my favorite time of year! My husband and I watched last nights video of your question and answers with Matt. It was so much fun listening to all the funny stores about hunting and pranks. We laughed because we would answer the questions and many times you two said the same things we did. I also saw the video of the girls and wanted to again congratulate you on the upcoming arrival of your grandson. How exciting!! I look forward to reading the BPAA posts each morning and watching the videos. They are much more interesting and informative compared to regular television shows. Keep up the good work!!! Hello and Blessings to all the BP readers and your family this weekend.
I live in northern lower Michigan, and we are also blessed with Joe-Pye weed, though ours is done for this season as we’re dipping into the 40’s at night and about a week from high color. Being partial to pinks and purples, I love this queen though, for us, she’s the queen of the forest swamps. Please send my love to Granny and her incredible family!
Beautiful photos. This plant grows well here in Florida. My wife loves the flowers because they attract honey bees and butterflies. And when the plant seeds, we get small sparrows. But sometimes it grows quite tall.
My folks always called it Queen of the Meadow…but some called it Bon-set.
Oh, Tipper! Thank you for bringing to light this beautiful plant! I don’t think it gets the recognition it deserves.
I’ve not seen Joe-Pye weed on my property yet but I see the beauty of it in the county landscape as I drive to work.
I once moved into an old farmhouse during the time Joe-Pye weed was in bloom. The next day I saw a cat come out of one of the barns. He was darling and I started to care for him. Can you guess what I named him? That’s right…Joe-Pye!
Great article, Tipper!
I had never heard of a Joe-Pye weed til I moved to Blue Ridge, Ga. They do not grow in upstate Florida that I know of…I wish they did. They are one of the more beautiful flowers around. Stay well…God Bless