About me
I just (as of April) graduated with my BA in Zoology from Weber State University. I love all things insects, and I don't think you can appreciate insects without also developing an appreciation for pollination ecology and the plants that make those interactions possible.
Pollinator Assemblage of Rubber Rabbitbrush in Weber County, Utah
Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericamera nauseosa) is a widespread and abundant flowering plant found throughout western North America, where it often makes up a significant portion of the plant community. Despite its broad distribution and abundance, little is known about its pollination ecology. In northern Utah, E. nauseosa is notable for its late blooming season, with many individuals still flowering into October. This late blooming window may provide a valuable resource to fall-active pollinators, when many other plants are no longer flowering. We investigated the pollinator communities visiting E. nauseosa in Weber County Utah across four different locations, each visited four times in the fall season of 2025. During 30- minute observation periods at each site, we recorded all orders of insects visiting flowers and attempted to collect a specimen of each unique taxon encountered. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) were excluded from the analysis. A total of 282 flower visitations were recorded, including 129 by non-Apis hymenopetrans, accounting for 46% of total flower visitations. Other flower visitors included flies (43%), butterflies (9%), and beetles (2%). Families represented included: Apidae, Ichneoumonidae, Syrphidae, Bombyliidae, Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Cerembycidae, and Burpestidae. Sixty-four insects were collected by net in the field for identification. Based on the analysis of collected specimens, at least 23 unique species were regular visitors to rabbitbrush.
