Page 6 - magazine Spring 2011-1_Neat

(Continued from page 5)

The Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus is among the first cactus in
the desert to bloom and produces a bright pink or magenta
flower that yields a strawberry tasting fruit. Hedgehog

Cactus is a little plant with clusters of small barrel-shaped
cactus which can grow up to 25 inches high.

Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus

The Palmers Penstamon flowers have a visible runway that
leads the insect into the mouth of the flower and they cover

themselves in pollen.

Bees, butterflies and birds are some of the animals drawn by

bright flowers. Night-blooming flowers take advantage of
nocturnal animals, like bats and moths. These animals don't see Palmers
Penstamon
colors so they are attracted by the scent of the flower.

The Yucca and the Yucca Moth have a special relationship which is

just one of many symbiotic relationships, also called obligate
pollination, found in the Mojave Desert. The Yucca Moth is a
small, white moth that blends well with the color of the yucca

flowers. A very distinctive feature of the Yucca Moth is the
tentacles around its mouth which are suited to gather pollen only
from the Yucca. In return for this pollination, the Yucca plant
provides food and shelter for the Yucca Moth larvae.

Wildflowers are a bright and beautiful part of Red Rock Canyon but
they are valued for more than their beauty; they provide shelter,
food and they are an integral part in this fragile ecosystem. So

enjoy the desert’s spring show but please allow the flowers to
Yucca reproduce. Take only pictures and leave only footprints.

Page 6