Native Plant of the Month-
Turtlehead
(
Chelone glabra
)
This is a robust, clump-forming perennial with stout stems. They form dense terminal clusters of white, sometimes tinged with pink, flowers. The upper and lower flower petals are fused, forming a hood that resembles a turtle's head. The flower matures into a fruit that contains a capsule with many seeds. Turtlehead prefers to grow in sun or part shade, and in moist to wet soil along streambanks, fens, marshes, meadows, and woods. Native Americans used the plant for medicine. It is the primary host plant for the rare Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly. Other butterflies and hummingbirds also visit the flowers for nectar.
