Written By: Henry Porter
Edited By: Colleen H.
Designed By: Jiya Mehta
Published By: Maryam Khan
Joe-Pye Weed is an amazing plant which is beneficial to the environment, but its name is extremely misleading. Fortunately, more people now recognize how it and other native plants are crucial to the well-being of the ecosystems they reside in, and the role they play in those habitats. Hopefully, this article can teach you a little about that. Joe-Pye Weed was originally named so because it was considered just that, a weed. However, It is actually very helpful to the environment, and attracts several species of butterflies and bees. 
For example, it is used by the Rusty-Patched bumblebee, which is an extremely endangered species. They were common around the 1980s, but have not been seen in Canada since 2009, with the last known location being the Ontario Pinery Provincial Park. It is food for many pollinators, including Monarch butterflies. It is also a larval host plant for two species of moths, which means they lay their eggs in it. The two species it hosts are the Three-lined Flower moth and the Ruby Tiger Moth. Many people dislike moths, but they do have important functions. They are pollinators, although not major ones, and they are very sensitive to shifts in the
(Joe-Pye Weed)
environment. This can let us know about what’s happening within their ecosystems, and tip us off to how the environment’s doing, and if anything is changing. Joe-Pye Weed is a great flower to have in your garden. They’re extremely low maintenance, and mainly grow in wet places, so watering them and keeping them in the sun might be the most you have to do. It does not need to be staked, it can grow up to six feet tall in the best of conditions and has lots of beautiful flowers. So, if you’re looking for a low-maintenance plant that’s beautiful when it blooms, this just might be the one for you.
Sources:
March 2015 Featured Plant Joe Pye Weed.pdf
NCC: Land Lines Moths: Amazing, beautiful, important and in need of study
Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee | Wildlife Preservation Canada
Ruby Tiger | Butterfly Conservation
Three-lined Flower Moth Schinia trifascia Hübner, 1818
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