Mancos milkvetch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mancos milkvetch |
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The Mancos milkvetch, officially known as Astragalus humillimus, is a very rare wild plant. It is a type of milkvetch, which belongs to the pea family. This special plant grows only in a small part of the Four Corners region of the United States. You can find it in Montezuma County, Colorado, and San Juan County, New Mexico.
There are only about nine small groups of these plants left. They grow on sandstone rimrock ledges on top of flat-topped hills called mesas. The Mancos milkvetch is a federally listed endangered species. This means it is protected by law because it is at high risk of disappearing forever.
Contents
What is the Mancos Milkvetch?
The Mancos milkvetch is a small plant that lives for many years. It grows in low, bushy clumps up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) wide. You can find it growing in cracks and sandy spots on sandstone cliffs and rocky areas.
What Does it Look Like?
The plant's leaves are matted together and can be up to 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches) long. Each leaf has several small, round or oval leaflets. These tiny leaflets are no more than 2 millimeters (less than an inch) long.
Leaves and Stems
When the plant gets ready for its dormant (resting) period, its leaves change. All the tiny leaflets fall off. What's left are bare, sharp spines. These spines are the old leaf stems.
Flowers and Pollinators
The Mancos milkvetch blooms for a short time in the spring. It produces many tiny flowers. These flowers are a bright pink-purple color. They also have a white streak in the middle. The flowers smell sweet and attract many butterflies. When the plant is blooming, lots of butterflies rest on it. The painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly is a common visitor.
Where Does it Live?
The sandstone where this plant grows formed during the Cretaceous period. This was a very long time ago. Some of the rock formations where it lives include the Point Lookout Sandstone.
Some groups of Mancos milkvetch grow on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A few populations are also found within the lands of the Navajo Nation.
Why is it Endangered?
The Mancos milkvetch is an endangered species. This means it is in danger of dying out. The area where it grows is being developed for oil and gas exploration. This means people are looking for oil and gas there.
Protecting its Home
Activities related to oil and gas exploration can harm the plant. These activities include building new roads. They also involve installing pipelines to move oil and gas. These changes to the land can destroy the plant's habitat. Protecting these areas is very important for the survival of the Mancos milkvetch.
See also
In Spanish: Astragalus humillimus para niños
