A Showy Hedgenettle - Observation of the Week, 5/21/24

Our Observation of the Week is this Stachys lavandulifolia hedgenettle plant, seen in Georgia by @​​crocusadamii!

Like many of us, Beka Sukhitashvili was fascinated by nature as a child but then turned away from it as they grew. 

As a child, I lived in a village for several years, which greatly influenced my outlook. Flowers have always fascinated me. As a teenager, I became completely immersed in urban life and had less and less time to observe the environment. Everything changed in 2020 when the pandemic hit my country. In Tbilisi, near my house, is Turtle Lake, where I started walking every weekend. At first it was just walking and relaxing, but gradually I became interested in the surrounding plants. I remember very well that the first flower I was interested in finding out the name of was Crocus speciosus. It remains my favorite flower to this day, and the genus is my favorite in general.

Now, as an amateur naturalist, my main goal is to study species and determine their exact Latin names, as well as take high-quality photos. I want to be able to record as many species as possible in the area of Tskneti/Turtle Lake/Mtatsminda and for that I created a project on iNaturalist.

Last month, Beka was hiking in the area and came across the plant you see above.

When I go to observe plants, I don't have a predetermined goal. While walking, I try to find the most beautiful flowering plant and try to take a high-quality photo with a camera, then process it and upload it to iNaturalist.

I noticed the Stachys on the side of Mtatsminda, in rocky and sandy places. I had never seen it before and was happy to add another species to my collection. I am a little dissatisfied with the quality of the photos, but in the future, since I already know the place where this flower grows, I will try to take better photos.

I was initially drawn to Beka’s observation because, in addition to being beautiful, it’s strikingly different from the Stachys species we have in California. Turns out that Stachys (a genus in the Mint family) has over 300 species and is distributed throughout much of the world, so it’s quite diverse. Stachys lavandulifolia is found natively in the Caucasus Mountains, in addition to Iraq and Iran, and as the Missouri Botanical Garden says, “the flowers are a show-stopper.”

Beka (above), says he found iNaturalist this year. 

I like the fact that I can easily search for information about a particular species and see in which region of Georgia it was observed. For example, Crocus vallicola is not mentioned in Georgian plant guides, but I came across it on iNaturalist and I was very happy.

I also like that I can compare my observations with those of others and thus identify the species. The site is multi-functional, which makes it attractive. I also like to help identify others’ observations.

(Photo of Beka by Beka’s brother Saba Sukhitashvili,. Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.)

- take a look at some of the most-faved Stachys observations on iNat!

Posted on May 21, 2024 03:15 PM by tiwane