Woolly Dutchman’s Pipe

Woolly Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia tomentosa). A vine that grows vigorously with a mind of its own. A vine with a funny looking flower. It’s native to southeastern Canada and the eastern United States. This is a plant in the genus Aristolochia. Plants in this genus are larval host plants of the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly.

I love to grow plants that I know will help insects live in this environment. To watch. To wait. To see if I can see any benefit. I’ve been able to watch caterpillars grow.

To watch as a caterpillar molts into a glowing chrysalis. Inside this protective shell, the caterpillar totally alters its body, finally emerging as a beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly. All because I planted this vine that needs care to keep it in bounds. This plant with the funny looking flowers. What a marvelous reward.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.