U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Dwarf -Poppy

Dwarf Bear-poppy and habitat / USFWS

What does the dwarf bear-poppy ’s low stature. The flowers look like? typically only have 4 petals that are The dwarf bear-poppy is a perennial up to 1.5 inches long. flower herb in the poppy family. Plants from April to May, with the peak of form rounded clumps and are up to flowering generally occurring in 10 inches tall. Leaves are basal, early May. Large plants may gray-green in color, have shaggy produce as many as 400 flowers. hairs, and are deeply 3-toothed at The dwarf bear-poppy is similar to the tip. The name Arctomecon the desert bear-poppy (Arctomecon is based on the bear paw-like merriamii), which occurs in Nevada appearance of the leaves. The short and California. Dwarf bear-poppy is leafy stems are 1-6 inches tall. Due generally smaller in stature, is more to the short stems, the white clump forming, less hairy, and has Daniela Roth / USFWS flowers appear to float above the smaller flowers. cluster of leaves, accentuating the Where does the dwarf bear-poppy occur? The dwarf bear-poppy is only known to occur in Washington County, Utah, in the vicinity of St. George.

The dwarf bear-poppy is restricted to “badlands” soil types belonging to several members of one geological formation, the Moenkopi Formation. It typically occurs on rolling hills with sparse vegetation within mixed warm desert shrub communities. Associated species include Mormon tea, Fremont pepperweed, cheesebush, shadscale, and shrubby buckwheat. It occurs on highly erosive, gypsum-rich soils at 2,700 to 3,300 feet in elevation.

Species range / USFWS

Region 6 Mountain-Prairie Region

State, and private partners to protect additional important areas for long-term species conservation. We need to continue surveying potential habitat throughout the species’ range and to continue research into this species’ life history and ecology. This information will guide management decisions and the evaluation of recovery progress for the dwarf bear-poppy.

More Information To learn more about the dwarf bear Daniela Roth / USFWS -poppy and conservation efforts on Legal Status under the Endangered In December 1985, we published a behalf of the species, please visit Species Act recovery plan that guides recovery the following sites: The dwarf bear-poppy was one of efforts, informs consultation and the first species in the United permitting activities, and details The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service States to be listed as endangered the steps necessary to recover the Endangered Species Program’s (November 13, 1979, 44 FR 64250 species. We are working with our website: www.fws.gov/endangered 64252). Federal, State, and private partners to implement these The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Why does the dwarf bear-poppy recovery efforts. Information, Planning and need protection? Conservation (IPaC) System: The dwarf bear-poppy is one of the With the assistance from these ecos.fws.gov/ipac rarest poppies in the world. When it partners, The Nature Conservancy was listed, the primary threats purchased 800 acres of dwarf bear- The Mountain-Prairie Regional were urban development, the lack poppy habitat for the preservation Office’s website: of regulatory mechanisms, and of the species. In addition The http://www.fws.gov/mountain- collection for home gardens. Nature Conservancy manages a prairie/species/plants/ Current threats still include urban small preserve containing the expansion and associated northernmost population of the The Utah Field Office’s website: developments and disturbances. species. The Bureau of Land www.fws.gov/utahfieldoffice Collection is no longer considered a Management fenced much of the threat because the plants do not habitat where the dwarf bear- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survive in cultivation. Additional poppy occurs and established two Region 6 threats include habitat Areas of Critical Environmental PO Box 25486 fragmentation, grazing, off highway Concern to provide protection to Denver Federal Center the species. Several populations of vehicles and other outdoor Denver, Colorado 80225 the dwarf bear-poppy are recreation related activities, Utah Field Office monitored annually to help us mining, prolonged droughts, and 801/975 3330 effects associated with global evaluate population trends over climate change such as increased time and identify threats. June 2013 competition by invasive species and increased fire frequency and altered What do we need to do to recover fire behavior. the dwarf bear-poppy? We need to determine the effects of What have we done to recover the habitat fragmentation on the dwarf bear-poppy? species and its pollinators. We need to continue working with Federal,

Region 6 Mountain-Prairie Region