19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Morning dew on Rocky Mountain Beeplant.

As the summer monsoonal rains begin to fall in here on the Colorado Plateau at 7000 feet near Flagstaff, Arizona, flowers indigenous to the area burst into a beautiful array of vibrant color. Their colors and their nectar attract pollinators of all kinds and provide the nourishment they need to survive the coming cold winter months. The pollinators also help the plants to produce the seeds they need in order to propagate and thrive in the area. The Rocky Mountain Beeplant, (Cleome serrulata), is one of the primary flowering plants have become necessary to the survival of many of the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds in the region. She is complex and beautiful.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Near Flagstaff, Arizona., Arizona, United States of America
Camera: NIKON D300
Copyright: © Sharon HARRIS