Besides trout lily, there’s another plant at Hawk Valley Farm with a “fishy” sounding name…. pickerel weed!
This aquatic plant in the water hyacinth family may have gotten its name because it shares a similar habitat with the pickerel fish.
Habitat: Considered a true pond plant, Pontederia cordata is usually found in shallow, calm water, such as Clay Pit Brook, marshes, slow-moving streams, and can even grow in mud, up to a foot below the water. It prefers sun or part sun.
Form: A perennial “emergent” plant, meaning that it’s rooted on the bottom, with the stems and leaves reaching above the surface of the water. It forms a colony with fibrous roots that spread by rhizomes (creeping rootstocks).
Flowers: Pickerel weed grows up to 3-4 feet tall and produces 1 spike of small, showy purple-blue flowers. The flower stem rises above the long, arrow or heart-shaped leaves and blooms June – September. Each individual flower on the spike only lasts for about a day.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are mainly pollinated by bees, but ruby-throated hummingbirds are also drawn to the flowers. The small, dry seeds that are formed along the flower spike are eaten by several waterfowl, including mallards, wood ducks, and Canada geese. White-tailed deer and muskrats will browse the foliage, which also provides cover for fish, small mammals, and birds. Pontederia cordata is used by female dragonflies and damselflies upon which to lay their eggs. (Source)
(originally featured as July 2020 Flora & Fauna Friday)
