Hypoestes phyllostachya 'Splash Select White' seeds

Hypoestes phyllostachya, known in English as "polka dot plant" or "freckle face" and in French as plante aux éphélides, is a tender perennial native to Madagascar grown for its attractive foliage, which is dark green densely covered with spots of pink, white, or red.

Usually in polka dot plant is sold as a houseplant in Toronto, however, a neighbour had a very pretty planting under a tree which impressed me last summer.

Plants are the Strangest People reports that polka dot plant is invasive in various warm parts of the world (Australia, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Zimbabwe, and India), so if you live there, please don't plant this in your garden. However it doesn't seem likely to go wild in Toronto. (PATSP also reports that polka dot plants are potentially dangerous to dogs and cats.)

I bought these seeds at Parks, who also sell a pink variety.

Toxicodendron radicans foliage

Warning: this is a noxious weed in Ontario. Toxicodendron radicans, known in English as "poison ivy" and in French as sumac grimpant, herbe à puce, bois de chien, or sumac vénéneux, is a woody vine native to much of North America. It's important to be able to recognize its characteristic leaves, with three leaflets, because it contains urushiol, an oil which causes a horrible itchy rash in many people. (When we were kids, my sister actually decided to try rubbing it on her arm to see if she really would get a rash. She sure regretted that.) Because of its allergenic properties for humans, poison ivy is considered a noxious weed in Ontario.

Although few people will deliberately plant poison ivy, it is one of the top twenty plants in terms of providing food for birds and mammals according to American Wildlife & Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits by Alexander C. Martin, Herbert S. Zime, and Arnold L. Nelson (New York: Dover, 1961). I like Sara Stein's suggestion, in Noah's Garden, of planting poison ivy in areas where vandalism is a problem; it would not only deter vandals but feed birds as well.

I photographed this poison ivy in Purdon Conservation Area.