Galeopsis Tetrahit, Common Hempnettle

Day 308: For all of its name being "Common Hempnettle," Galeopsis tetrahit was not known to occur in Pierce County until yesterday morning. Yep, I found it while I was out for a walk. The "up" side of this story is that I can add another check mark to my growing tally of rare and unusual plant sightings. The "down" side is that this one is a weed, and an invasive one at that. However, it also provided me with an opportunity to submit a voucher specimen to the Burke Herbarium, the first one I have ever made for WTU. As I once told Arnie, it's against my religion to pluck a plant from the wild, but in the case of an invasive, I'll make an exception. I made a second trip out to collect it, and it is currently drying in my plant press. What I had not realized until it was too late was that the plant was in seed. As I dug it out, it released dozens of them onto the ground. I'll need to monitor this site for the next several years to ensure that Galeopsis doesn't take hold in the county.