Did you ever wonder how Joe Pye Weed got its name? After a bit of googling, I discovered that Joe Pye was a Massachusetts Native American who used the plant to treat fever in the early nineteenth century. (Or so the only page that cited sources suggests.)

I'm not sure that butterflies care what this late-summer flower is called. They seem grateful for copious nectar sources now that their wings are beginning to succumb to wear. Perhaps that's a lesson in mindfulness right outside our back door?

Want more in-depth information? Browse through our books.

Or explore more posts by date or by subject.

About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



Want to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed, or simply check the box beside "email replies to me" while writing your comment.

Powered by Branchable Wiki Hosting.