00:14:55 and Counting

Tonight at 10pm EST, a photo I took will appear briefly in Law & Order: SVU, in an episode titled "Scavenger"...or, someone has played a bizarre practical joke on me. Either way, I am bragging about it here in the ISW because the photo is of an invasive plant. When I came across the species in Italy back in 1999, my guide book called it Himalayan balsam, but in the U.S. it is known more frequently by the name "Policeman's Helmet" (which likely explains it's inclusion in the episode). A large annual plant, Impatiens glandulifera is native to the Himalayas, and invasive in Europe, the western U.S. and Canada. You can see my photo of the flower, whose shape resembles that of the old-style British policeman's helmet, by going here and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.