A collection of thoughts and photos of my life and work in the northern Great Plains of North America (and occasionally other places in the world).
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Rocky Mountain Beeplant
A few days ago I actually got out of the office for a bit. I checked a couple of reservoirs built specifically for wildlife (many of the reservoirs are built to provide water for cattle). Along the way I found this plant blooming on the shoulder of a remote gravel road. I didn't have my plant ID books with me and had to send a photo to Dad for ID. He identified it as a Rocky Mountain Beeplant (Cleome serrulata). It certainly lived up to its name. In addition to the bees there was a circus of insects on each plant - beetles, flies, butterflies, wasps, and ants. There were probably more species of insects on those beeplants than the total number of bird and mammal species I had seen that day combined.
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