Plains coreopsis found in West Westminster

September 21, 2026

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Plains coreopsis (), a federally Threatened annual forb, was recorded on 2026-09-20 at West Westminster.¹ This species' protected status reflects conservation concern despite its historical range across the Great Plains and southern United States.¹

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More about Coreopsis tinctoria

Hibiscus turret bees work the coreopsis bloom

June 25, 2026

Plains coreopsis is flowering now across the open ground near Oklahoma City's central district, its yellow and burgundy heads standing a foot or two above the soil on wiry stems. Where a patch of it grows in full sun, you may hear a low, steady buzzing before you see what's producing it. That sound belongs to the hibiscus turret bee, and this is the center of her summer. The hibiscus turret bee is a stocky, densely furred native bee, roughly the size of a small bumble bee, and she is a specialist. She does not range across whatever flowers happen to be blooming. She targets plants in the mallow family, particularly native hibiscus, but she also works coreopsis heavily during summer, gathering pollen in dense masses on the specialized hairs of her hind legs. She builds her nest in bare or sparsely vegetated soil, and at the entrance she constructs a short turret of soil pellets, a chimney a centimeter or two tall, which gives her her name. The turret may help keep water out during summer rains, or it may serve as a marker. Researchers are not entirely settled on its function, but the structure is distinctive enough that if you find one in a bare patch of ground near flowering plants, you are likely looking at her work. Inside the nest, she provisions individual cells with a mixture of pollen and nectar, lays a single egg on each provision mass, and seals the cell. The larva develops on that stored food without any further attention from the mother. Plains coreopsis is well suited to this relationship. It is a native annual that thrives in disturbed, open ground, exactly the kind of habitat found along roadsides, field margins, and the edges of parks like Will Rogers. It produces pollen in quantity across a long summer bloom period, which aligns with the hibiscus turret bee's active season. The flower's open, flat-faced structure makes pollen accessible without requiring a bee to force its way inside. The bee moves across the disk flowers at the center of each head, vibrating her flight muscles against the anthers in a behavior called buzz pollination, which shakes loose pollen that would otherwise stay packed tight. Not every bee can do this. The western honey bee, which is an invasive species in North America, cannot buzz pollinate and so takes less pollen from coreopsis than native bees like this one. The turret bee's visits are more productive for the plant as a result: more pollen transferred, more seeds set.