Purple loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria
FOUND by manyeyes2010-08-10
Cape Elizabeth
ID Confirmed
Quality checked by vitalsleuth
Peer reviewed by vitalsleuth
Field Notes
Finally. After years of driving past this ever-expanding clump of purple loosestrife on the corner of Scott Dyer Rd and Spurwink Ave, I FINALLY stopped to document it. I thought it was the only spot on Spurwink with loosestrife, but it's not. The ditch on the left-hand side of the road (traveling towards South Portland) is dotted with purple. This clump seems to be the largest.
Interesting to note that this clump was buzzing loudly with bees this morning, underscoring for me the recent discussion forum post about invasive plants supporting honey production (http://vitalsignsme.org/forum/plants-news-honey-production).
Supporting Evidence
Behold the telltale flower spikes blossoming in August. Flowers are purple with 5-7 petals.
The leaves are alternate, smooth, and slightly hairy. I didn't get a good enough photo of the stems, but - believe me - they are square.
Individuals are forming a dense stand and crowding out fellow ditch-dwellers like cattail (seen in the front right of the photo).
Species Observation: Species Looked For
Did you find it?:
I think I found it
Scientific name:
Lythrum salicariaCommon name:
Purple loosestrife
Sampling method:
Just looking around
Place Studied
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Map this species
Latitude:
N 43.593739 °
Longitude:
W -70.245671 °
Observation Site Information
Habitat:
Upland - Developed areas
Trip Information
Name:
Spurwink Road
Trip date:
Tue, 2010-08-10 08:00
Town or city:
Cape Elizabeth
Type of investigation:
Species Survey
Ecosystem:
Upland
Watershed:
Presumpscot
Comments
Great!
Nice pictures and information. I like how you included information about the honey productions!