(Birds chirping)
Tom Rodhouse, Ecologist: “Big Hole National Battlefield was established
as a cultural site, but it’s also a home to the Lemhi penstemon. A rare, blue flowering
plant that not many people know about. The penstemon attracts pollinating insects. The
insects and the flowers have been helping each other out for thousands of years. It’s
a fascinating relationship, and it’s worth taking a closer look.”
Steve Shelly, U.S. Forest Service Botanist: “Yeah, there.”
(Music playing)
Jannis LeBlanc, Natural Resource Specialist: “Big Hole National Battlefield was preserved for protecting the
cultural landscape. As a consequence, the natural landscape, the native plants, animals,
and insects, are protected. Lemhi penstemon is a great example of this. It’s a very
rare plant that is still here, in the Big Hole Valley, in this park.”
Steve Shelly, U.S. Forest Service Botanist: “The species is designated as sensitive by the U.S. Forest
Service, and is also considered at risk of extinction by the Montana Natural Heritage
Program. Some of the largest populations are found on the Big Hole National Battlefield,
and that makes this site particularly important for the conservation of the Lemhi penstemon.
There are several different kinds of insects that visit the flowers. Mostly bees, but there
is one very unique wasp that actually specializes in pollinating these flowers. It is known
as a pollen wasp. Unlike common wasps which typically hunt other insects, or feed on your
picnic food, these wasps behave more like bees. The wasp is adapted. Its body size is
adapted perfectly to the whole flower. It actually crawls straight into the mouth of
the flower, and it’s doing two things. Its gathering nectar from the base of the flower
tube, and then at the same time pollen is also attaching to the body of the wasp.
(Wasp buzzing)
When the wasp is in the flower tube, you can hear this scraping as it’s working
its body back and forth in there when it’s collecting the pollen.
(Scraping sound)
The visitation of the flowers by this wasp is essential, really, for the long term persistence
of the plants because it is such a good, well adapted pollinator in this case.
(Music playing)
The Big Hole Battlefield provides a special opportunity where we can combine
the goals we have for conservation of a rare species, with the objectives for conserving
the cultural significance of the site.”
(Music playing)
Tom Rodhouse, Ecologist: “Each year we
count Lemhi penstemon. June is the best time for us to do that, when the plant is in flower.
We’re down on our hands and knees, really crawling around, looking for those seedlings
which are very hard to find, and the large, showy, flowering adult plants.”
Steve Shelly, U.S. Forest Service Botanist: “That seedling count is important because it gives you an
idea of how well the population might be doing in a given year. When we have data over a
ten year time period, or a longer time period, that really helps give us a good understanding
of the population changes over time.”
Jannis LeBlanc, Natural Resource Specialist: “So, Lemhi penstemon are not normally part of the visitor experience. They’re flowers on the
hillside. They’re not related to the battle itself. So, if visitors want to see Lemhi penstemon,
they can walk on several different trails in the park, including The Overlook. Lemhi
penstemon flowers early in the summer. Usually late June, early July.”
Tom Rodhouse, Ecologist: “This is an essential part of being able to effectively preserve and protect these
resources for future generations. Of course, this is really the essence
of the National Park Service mission.”
(Music playing)