Joe-Pye Junction

As spring progressed and the "weeds" grew, we soon became aware that many of them were a large plant commonly called Joe-Pye weed. Our variety is Eutrochium fistulosum, Hollow Joe-Pye Weed.

I have been cutting trails down the hill and across the property to the south boundary, and many of them that start near the house have seemed to naturally lead to a common point near where we hope someday to add a larger pond. As time went on it was clear that Joe-Pye weed was the predominant plant at the junction, and I have taken to using this posting's title to describe the area. No one walking down any of the trails needs to be told more than "go to Joe-Pye Junction" to describe the cross-trails point from which they would continue on one trail or another. Here are a few shots of it.

View of the junction from the north... Things are sort of overgrown. There is a trail through this but the plants are very wide now.	View from the west... It's hard to tell without a reference, but some of these plants are 8 feet tall!
A close up of the flower head with a few bees on it	Looking over the junction from the south across the area we hope will be a large pond