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Spotted Jewelweed

Impatiens capensis

Found in moist forests, bottomlands, cove forests, streambanks, bogs. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

66
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
2–5 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Light
Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to November
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Recorded in 21 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Moist forests

Woods Scene
Harvey Joiner, Woods Scene: tall beeches in a moist Kentucky woodland, light falling through a closed canopy onto a damp forest floor. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Kentucky beech woods (Harvey Joiner, Louisville painter of Kentucky beech forests; the painting does not name the site), a neighboring state.Woods Scene, Harvey Joiner, c. 1880-1920. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Rich cove forests

Sheltered, moist mountain hollows and lower slopes with deep, fertile soil.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 101 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (49)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Impatiens

  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Caripeta divisataGray Spruce Looper Moth
  • Choristoneura fumiferanaSpruce Budworm Moth
  • Coelostathma discopunctanaThe Batman Moth
  • Euchlaena obtusariaObtuse Euchlaena
  • Euphyia intermediataSharp-Angled Carpet Moth, The Intermediate
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Pseudorthodes vecorsSmall Brown Quaker, Small Brown Groundcat
  • Spilosoma latipennisPink-Legged Tiger Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Show all 15
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Trichodezia albovittataWhite-Striped Black
  • Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
  • Xanthorhoe lacustrataToothed Brown Carpet
  • Pristerognatha agilana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
17BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Impatiens

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded eating Impatiens in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Impatiens 3

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Balsaminaceae
Hardiness
Zones 2a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow, orange or red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Orange Jewel Weed; Orange Touch Me Not

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources