Desert Broom in Bloom

Many people realize that the hardworking honeybee is an endangered and necessary creature, but beyond that, in my experience, people see insects as inconveniences to be eliminated, much like the plants we call weeds. But inconvenient plants and insects can also be beautiful, and paying attention to small living things can help us understand and feel connected to the natural world.

In a blog post last year called “We can't ignore the little things that keep us alive,” scientist and environmental activist David Suzuki talked about his childhood fascination with insects: “To me, insects were endlessly riveting. Many of them display spectacular colours and patterns and occur in shapes and forms that are far more bizarre and surprising than any Hollywood sci-fi creation.”  He went on to explain the important roles small creatures play in the healthy functioning of ecosystems, and he lamented the fact that “In our concern with protecting grizzlies and polar bears, whooping cranes and redwood trees, wolves and caribou, we give short shrift to the small creatures that keep the planet livable.”

Here in the Sonoran Desert, an opportunity to enjoy insects and other small creatures comes around each year when desert broom begins to flower. This plant is native to our region, so it isn’t actually a weed, but desert broom prefers disturbed areas and therefore behaves like a weed. And after it blooms it produces lots of silky little seeds that clog swimming pools and make a mess. As a result, there are more articles on the internet about how to destroy it than about how to enjoy it. (For one of the milder opinions, see “Desert Broom…Is It a Desert Plant or a Noxious Weed?”) Nonetheless, if you live in the Sonoran Desert, you can see desert broom in bloom in late October. Its small cream-colored flowers attract an amazing variety of insects. If you belly up to the plant and listen to the busy hum, you can be pretty sure that these small and hard-working creatures will be preoccupied with finding food and strengthening themselves in preparation for the cold and dry weather to come, and they will barely notice you.

Greg and I have taken pictures of the same group of flowering desert broom plants in October of 2012, 2013, and 2014. Sometimes people who are walking or bicycling along will stop and ask what we’re looking at. “Butterflies,” I say, but really there are so many insects it’s hard to say which I'm most interested in. There are wasps, bee flies, flies, dragonflies, and even tiny lizards hoping to snag some of the smaller insects. Here's a gallery of some of the insects we have been able to watch. [Click on the photo to view a larger image.]

Great Blue Hairstreak, 2014

Queen butterfly on desert broom; 2012

Three Queens; photo by Greg Evans, 2014

Common Snout, wings open, 2014

Common Snout, wings closed, 2014

Paper Wasp and bees, 2014

Tarantula Hawk Wasp, 2014

Mexican Amberwing perched near desert broom, 2013

Some type of Metalmark? 2012

A Hover Fly, 2014

Mexican Cactus Fly, 2014

Bee Fly, 2013

Gray Hairstreak and Honeybee, 2014

Now the desert broom has gone to seed, and its white, silky seeds are beginning to drift around. I sometimes grab a pinch of seeds, release them into the air, and remember that some people call desert broom “Snow on the mountain.” I also hope that people can learn to appreciate this plant, which may not seem to be useful to home owners but obviously has its place in our ecosystem.