Driving through north eastern  Oregon yesterday we saw some pretty grim landscapes. Acres and acres of burned grasslands and forests. Even active fires that severely limited visibility. Where the landscape wasn’t burned it was dry and lifeless. So when I saw these anomalous flowers blooming along the side of the road, I asked Michael to pull over and so I could take a shot. Known commonly as Rocky Mountain bee plant ( they were literally covered with honeybees, being one of the only sources of nectar around), spiderflower or stinkweed, Cleome serrulata  has a wide range, all the way to the Northeastern Canada and even occurs in my home state of Wisconsin, though I’ve never seen it there. Why don’t  I see this pollinator friendly, obviously super drought tolerant, beautiful late summer blooming plant in more gardens?