• Home
  • How We Work
  • Where We Work
  • News Room
  • About Us
  • My Nature Page

The Nature Conservancy in Africa - Conservation in Africa

The Nature Conservancy in Asia Pacific - Conservation in Asia-Pacific

The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean - Conservation in the Caribbean

The Nature Conservancy in Central America - Conservation in Central America

The Nature Conservancy in North America - Conservation in North America

The Nature Conservancy in the United States - Conservation in the United States

The Nature Conservancy in South America - Conservation in South America

Dwarf Bear Poppy

 

Dwarf Bear Poppy Fruit

Update From the Field: 2008 Plant Survey


Good news for the poppies' future! In May, 2008, scientists conducted a study of the 55.52-acre White Dome Preserve in St. George, and found an above-average bloom with a high production of seeds. The Dwarf Bear Poppy's seeds are long-lived and will ensure the survival of this rare plant in the extremely arid Mojave Desert.

Did You Know?

  • There are only 12 populations of dwarf bear poppy remaining in the world. All 12 are found in Washington County, Utah.
  • Dwarf bear poppy seeds can remain dormant in the ground for years, waiting for the right climatic conditions for germination.
  • The dwarf bear poppy is pollinated by a rare ground-dwelling bee.
  • The City of St. George declared May 12 Dwarf Bear Poppy Day.

Dwarf Bear Poppy

Washington County is home to an exquisite plant that exists nowhere else on Earth—the dwarf bear poppy. Unfortunately, this unique piece of Utah’s natural heritage is on the verge of extinction. 

Human impacts, including development and off-road vehicle use, continue to destroy the poppies and their habitat, and impair key plant life-cycle processes, such as pollination visits.

Listed as a federally endangered species in 1979, the survival of the bear poppy now rests in the hands of the St. George community and local conservation organizations. 

Fragile Life in the Desert

Whether seen for the first time or the tenth, the dwarf bear poppy (Arctomecon humilis) elicits a sense of wonder that such beauty can emerge from the barren, gypsum-rich hills near St. George.  The blue-green rosette of leaves are each lobed like a bear paw, every lobe subtended by a silver hair or “claw.” 

Blossoms are sunbursts of yellow framed in sheer white petals that quiver in the breeze.  Older plants bear a bouquet of hundreds of blossoms, an explosion of color and life in the desert.

You Can Help

The Nature Conservancy is working with communities, government agencies and other local organizations to protect remaining populations of the dwarf bear poppy. 

Without community support and activism, however, the plant’s future looks bleak.  Everyone can make a difference in the survival of this precious species.   

Below are some steps you can take to help preserve part of St. George’s extraordinary landscape.

  • Don’t hike, bike or otherwise travel through poppy habitat. Any soil disturbance can decrease poppy numbers.
     
  • Spread the word—tell your friends and family about the wonders and plight of this beautiful plant.
     
  • Support local conservation efforts through volunteer work or by contributing to organizations involved in efforts to save the bear poppy.

Nature picture credits (left to right): Photo © Renée Van Buren (Dwarf Bear Poppy); Photo © Renée Van Buren (Dwarf Bear Poppy fruit).