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FERNBUSH - Rose Family Chamaebatiaria millefolium      The 2 to 7 foot fernbush has leaves that look like tiny ferns, but the plant is related to roses, not ferns. The bush is evergreen but the leaves curl up in winter and many are shed. The dried flower stalks remain all year, slowly losing their small reddish seeds. Mule deer and bighorn sheep browse the fernbush, which is one of the South Rim's most common shrubs.

 

Fernbush leaves are 1 to 1 ½ inches long; they are furry and sticky and have a pleasing odor.

 
 

Fernbush flowers are white and sticky, about ½ inch wide with yellow centers. Many insect species such as this Mourning Cloak butterfly visit the fernbush in flower during August and September. Smaller birds such as Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Lesser Goldfinch and others flock to feed on tiny insects that hide inside the blossoms.

  Up to Trees and Shrubs  Ponderosa Pine  Pinyon Pine  Utah Juniper  Gambel Oak  Douglas-fir  Cliffrose  Apache Plume  Mormon Tea  Utah Serviceberry  Fernbush  Wax Currant  Big Sagebrush  Fremont Barberry  Rabbit Brush  Banana Yucca  Utah Agave  Mountain Mahogany Blueberry Elder Rock Mat Brickellbush Buffalo Berry