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Virginia waterleaf and dame's rocket blossoms

A Tale of Two Species

June 7, 2022  |  Topics: Stories


By Eddee Daniel (with apologies to Charles Dickens)

It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. It is a blissfully sunny afternoon in a dark age. An age of wisdom and of foolishness. Out for my daily exercise routine, I take a detour from my usual route along the paved Oak Leaf Trail, heading into the relative gloom of the earthen riparian trail. As I enter the shaded vale the gurgling of the river washing over rocks begins to drown the sound of traffic on the parkway.

A patch of Virgina waterleaf next to the riparian trail along the Menomonee River.
A patch of Virgina waterleaf next to the riparian trail along the Menomonee River.

I quickly discover a large patch of Virginia waterleaf blossoms animating the ground cover with their tiny tight explosions. I have been fond of this native perennial (Hydrophyllum virginianum) since I first came upon them in the Milwaukee County Grounds about twenty years ago. I have always sought out a perfectly spherical one, with only rare success. Until today!

Virginia waterleaf: a rare spherical blossom.
Virginia waterleaf: a rare spherical blossom.

Also, until today, I have only ever come upon small clusters of them. I am astounded as I look up from my initial encounter and there ahead of me, along both sides of the path, is a sea of their white and purplish puffs. Coming upon a single soft globe-like blossom in the woods has always been a pleasant treat, but this … nearly takes my breath away.

A colony of Virginia waterleaf in the woodland along the Menomonee River parkway.
A low-lying colony of Virginia waterleaf in the woodland along the Menomonee River parkway.

Virginia waterleaf is not a flashy flower. Although they spread both by sending out rhizomes underground and by seed and, as I see here, can form large colonies, they are pale in color and hug the ground. The tallest reach just two to two and a half feet; most are shorter—easily dwarfed by other plants in the understory.

A dame's rocket blossom stands tall in a patch of Virginia waterleaf.
A dame’s rocket blossom stands tall in a patch of Virginia waterleaf.

Speaking of which …, my enchanted reverie is abruptly dispelled when, walking farther down the path, I come upon an invader: dame’s rocket. At first, I spot just one tall flower rising out of a patch of Virginia waterleaf, looming over them all. But I know this to be a plant that never comes alone.

Dame's rocket blossoms backlit by the afternoon sun at the edge of the Menomonee River.
Dame’s rocket blossoms backlit by the afternoon sun at the edge of the Menomonee River.

Sure enough, I don’t go much farther before I stop seeing Virginia waterleaf. Now an ocean of dame’s rocket fills every corner of the woodland and spills out into the adjacent meadow. There is a veritable wall of it stopped only where the lawn is mowed by the Parks Department. The spring of hope meets the winter of despair. If you are thinking, “but that’s a pretty flower, too!” don’t be fooled by appearances. Dame’s Rocket is indeed a very pretty flower—if that’s the only flower you want to see. It is also a highly aggressive invasive species.

A dense patch of highly aggressive, invasive dame's rocket.
A dense patch of highly aggressive, invasive dame’s rocket.

When the diminutive, delicate puffs of Virginia waterleaf (among other native wildflowers) meet the towering stalks of dame’s rocket there is no contest. Curiously, although their differences outweigh them, there are some similarities between these species. Their coloration is similar, varying from pure white to various shades of purple, though the hues of Virginia waterleaf never get deeper than pale pinks and lavenders, while dame’s rocket veers to fittingly hot pinks and bold fuchsias. They both prefer moist woodland habitats, though the more invasive one is less picky, as you might imagine. They are both relatively prolific, but as already stated, dame’s rocket is way out ahead in that department—and it has a remarkable three-month-long blooming period for an added booster to its rocket.

Like small explosions, Virginia waterleaf blossoms grace the edge of the Menomonee River.
Like small explosions, Virginia waterleaf blossoms grace the edge of the Menomonee River.

Being native, Virginia waterleaf has one huge advantage over dame’s rocket. Unlike the non-native species, which have limited appeal to local pollinators, its flowers are, according to the UW Horticulture website, “pollinated by bumblebees, small carpenter bees, and other long-tongued bees feeding on the nectar – including the native waterleaf cuckoo bee … [and] other bees and flies which consume the pollen.” Sometimes referred to as Shawnee salad, it is also edible by humans! (But don’t eat the ones you find in county parkland like this, which are protected!)

Virginia waterleaf blossom close up.
Virginia waterleaf blossom close up.

I found this on the “Edible Wild Food” website: “[Virginia waterleaf] leaves can be used raw or cooked. Young leaves are mild-tasting and refreshing. They make a pleasant addition to the salad bowl, or added into sandwiches. Leaves become slightly bitter with age. Use in baked dishes and smoothies. Tea can be made from the roots. It is an astringent, used in treatment of mild diarrhea. … Virginia waterleaf was once used to help with several minor health ailments. The chewed root, or decoction was used for dry lips and sore mouths.”

Dame's rocket at the mowed edge of a meadow in the Menomonee River Parkway.
Dame’s rocket at the mowed edge of a meadow in the Menomonee River Parkway.

As for dame’s rocket, stop admiring their superficial beauty, tear them out, and burn them! (If burning is legal where you live.) The UW Horticulture website also has a compendium of other suggestions for controlling it. Stomping isn’t one of them, but it can feel good! (Just don’t mistake dame’s rocket for its lovely native lookalike: phlox. The former has four petals, the latter five.)

Dame’s rocket isn’t the only invasive species of concern! Here we see the purple dame’s rocket blossoms nestled among invasive reed canary grass, which can grow up to 9′ tall and infests many riparian areas.

As for the Milwaukee County Parks, which manages this parkway—along with 10,000+ additional acres of natural areas—they do the best they can with the resources (read: funding) they are given. Triage is the name of the game here. The first priority goes to the highest quality woodlands. In our collective wisdom we have preserved a remarkably diverse array of parks and urban wildlands—which are universally loved; out of collective foolishness, we have, for at least three decades, neglected to provide sufficient funding for their maintenance. We live in blissful sunshine and dark times.

Dame's rocket in the Menomonee River Parkway.
Dame’s rocket in the Menomonee River Parkway.

When will we learn? Despite the efforts of parks departments and academic horticulture experts, dame’s rocket is still sought after as an ornamental. Try Googling it yourself. The first search results are all ads for places where you can buy more of it! “…It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity….” The words Dickens wrote in 1859 as a prelude to A Tale of Two Cities could easily describe our contemporary society.

A lone Virginia waterleaf blossom surrounded by another non-native invader, Urtica dioica, or stinging nettles.

This story isn’t only about invasive species, or even saving and funding our parks—as important as they are! We live in trying times; seductive but destructive ideas rampage across the land like bewitching dame’s rocket. “…We had everything before us, we had nothing before us….” We have the knowledge to solve our problems, but do we have the will? How long will we continue to admire the beautiful dame’s rocket all around us before we begin to pull it up, root it out? Dickens’ narrative culminates in the Reign of Terror. May that not be our fate in this day and age.n this day and age.

Dazzling sunshine in a dark age; dame’s rockets spreads throughout the woodland areas in the Menomonee River Parkway.
Here’s to spring, the best of times…

Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks. Milwaukee County Parks Department is a project partner of A Wealth of Nature.