Ray's Thought for the Day - Polytaenia

Members of the parsley family, like Polytaenia, are generally considered delicious by deer and tiny herbivores. One tiny herbivore that eats them up are the caterpillars of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). So it's really important for the Polytaenias to get a big healthy basal rosette going before the caterpillars start eating on the leaves. Generally, in these parts, the caterpillars strip the stem leaves, but leave the basal rosette leaves alone. The adjacent is a late, small Polytaenia rosette.

These days, the learned have decided to call our species P. nuttallii after the intrepid Thomas Nuttall. All righty then.