'Golden Shadow' © 2010 Bo Mackison

I took this photograph of a most unusual plant a few weeks ago at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. I took it before we had had our first frost. I took it when we’d had an abundance of rain. I took it when the mosquitoes were each the size of a dive-bombing hornet, and each mosquito had targeted me as dinner. Therefore, I grabbed a quick look at the tag on the plant, and noted its name was ‘Golden Shadow.’ And I took cover in the car in an attempt to escape the mosquitoes.

Weeks later, I wanted to find out a little more about these lovely golden shadow leaves and so I started Googling “Golen Shadow’.  I found a dogwood with the name of ‘Golden Shadow’ – no resemblance. Then I found a Paper Mulberry ‘Golden Shadow’, but it looked nothing like this plant either.

So though I love the unusual look of this plant, and it has the most wonderful deep butterscotch color, and the texture was a velvety nub, I have no identity for it other than “Golden Shadow’.