September EcoQuest Challenge

ENCOUNTER EVENING PRIMROSE

Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) is a native, disturbance-adapted wildflower that can grow up to 6 feet tall. Its yellow flowers, which open in the evening, are pollinated by insects such as Hawk Moths (Sphingidae), Primrose Moth, who's pattern matches the bloom and the pinkish hue of old, dying blooms, and the Evening Primrose Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum oneotherae), a native bee which is oliogolectic, and only pollinates Oenothera biennis. The nectar of this plant is also preferred by hummingbirds and many other pollinators. Because these interactions occur in the evening, they are under-observed on iNaturalist.

Common Evening Primrose is an ethnobotanically significant plant. The First Nations People, especially the Potawatomi, Cherokee, Iroquois, and Ojibwas, have historically used Oenothera biennis as a food and medicine source. Most of the plant parts are edible. The roots can be cooked like potatoes, the leaves cooked and eaten like greens, the shoots eaten raw, and the flowers can be used as edible ornamentals. The seeds can also be used for their oils and are readily eaten by birds and other wildlife.

Can you observe Evening Primrose flowers opening or being visited by pollinators? Can you find any exceptionally tall plants?

You can browse past observations of Common Evening Primrose here