#rosales nutkana

[pnwnativeplants]

Nootka rose, or Rosa nutkana is a wild rose native to the pacific northwest. Wild roses all generally have only five petals, rather than the many-petaled cultivated varieties most people think of as “roses”. This allows pollinators to access the food the flowers provide, so they’re a more ecologically beneficial choice for gardening. These roses are host plants for over 100 species of butterflies and moths, including the striking polyphemus moth which has a wingspan that can take up your whole hand!

[friendsrpbg]

J20170525-0051—Rosa nutkana—RPBG—DxO by John Rusk Via Flickr: Rosa nutkana—Nootka rose. The prickliest of California roses, although not always so in other portions of its range from Alaska through the Rocky Mountains to the Colorado Plateau. In California it occurs most often in coastal marshes of Northwest California with occurrences all the way south to marshy areas of San Luis Obispo Country. The hips are a favored food of birds, deer, and bears. The large size of the flower would make it an ideal garden plant were it not for the thorns, but given the thorns, it should be used only by those wishing to create a barrier. Photographed at Regional Parks Botanic Garden located in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, CA.