Jewel Cave National Monument
Plants
Jewel Cave National Monument encompasses 1275 acres of ponderosa pine forest and hosts a rich diversity of native plants. The Monument also contains many introduced non-native plant species. Controlling the spread of invasive exotic species is a primary objective of resource management at Jewel Cave.
Wildflowers
These are just a few of the native flowers that you might see while visiting Jewel Cave National Monument. To learn more, you can get a wildflower list from a ranger at the visitor center. Remember not to pick the wildflowers you find; leave them for others to enjoy!
Pasqueflower (Anemone patens) blooms in late March to early May and is the state flower of South Dakota. This flower is sometimes seen growing through the springtime snow.
Western salsify (Tragopogon dubius), also known as goatsbeard or yellow salsify, flowers in late May to July. It is zealously eaten by wildlife. When salsify gets ready to seed, it looks like a giant dandelion.
Gunnison's mariposa lily (Calochortus gunnisonii) is one of the many species of lily found at Jewel Cave National Monument. They flower in June to early August. The bulbs of this plant were used as food by the Cheyenne.
The pale-purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida var. angustifolia) was often used as an anesthetic by Native Americans. The roots or immature heads were chewed to suppress thirst as well. The flowers bloom in June through July.
Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is also known as horsemint or beebalm, and blooms in July through August. The leaves of wild bergamot were used by Native Americans in vapor treatments for colds.
Wavyleaf thistle (Cirsium undulatum) is one of the few native thistles at Jewel Cave National Monument. The flowers bloom in June through July, and attract many species of butterflies.
Exotic Plant Management
Invasive exotic plants such as Canada thistle and leafy spurge, if not controlled, can choke out native vegetation. Aggressively invasive non-native plants are known as "noxious weeds."
Jewel Cave National Monument uses an integrated pest management (IPM) approach to control noxious weeds. IPM includes manual / mechanical control (hand-pulling and cutting), chemical control (application of herbicides), and biocontrol (introducing insects which attack the plant).
Jewel Cave relies primarily on manual / mechanical methods to control exotic plants. Hand-pulling removes part of the root system and stresses the plant. Cutting prevents the plant from producing seed.
To prevent contamination of water inside the cave, herbicide chemicals cannot be used in most areas of the park. Biocontrol agents such as Apthona flea beetles are used to control leafy spurge, and have been quite successful where they have been released.
Jewel Cave In Depth
News from the Parks
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For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
December 2, 2008 - 1:03pm
For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
Tourists Bite on ‘Twilight’ Vampire Tours of Forks, Washington
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
Crowds Observe World AIDS Day In GG Park
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
Grounded in God, Green and Glaciers
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December 2, 2008 - 12:37pm
Remember when Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana during one of the presidential debates? “That’s us,” said David Restivo, a Roberts Wesleyan College alumnus and visual information specialist at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Smokies' Formation Began 500 Million to 600 Million Years Ago
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
