1. Home
  2. Gardening, lawn and landscape
  3. Bees and pollinators

Calochortus eurycarpus (white mariposa lily)

General

Bulb-forming perennial with a single grass-like stem up to 20 inches tall bearing one to five flowers.

Leaves

Grass-like leaves, about as long as the flowering stem, growing from the base.

Flowers

Three large white petals each with a prominent purple blotch in the center.

Bloom

June through August.

Ecology

Mountain meadows, grasslands and open forest.

Pollinators

Attracts bees, wasps, bee flies and beetles. Oregon Bee Atlas participants have documented many of the bee genera known from Oregon on Calochortus, including species of Dufourea, which are specialized pollen foragers of some Calochortus species.

References

A bumblebee on a spring of lavendar.
This piece is part of the collection Native bee interactions with plants

Was this page helpful?

Related Content from OSU Extension

Raspberry canes and carpenter bees

If you want to raise bees in your yard but aren't up to maintaining a hive, old raspberry canes might be the answer. Friendly carpenter bees like to burrow into spent berry canes to create their nests.

Jocelyn McAuley | Apr 2020 | Article

OSU teaches Oregonians to raise honeybees as hives struggle

More than 1,300 have enrolled in the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program

Jennifer Larsen | Aug 2019 | Impact story

Wildflowers give gardens a charming, relaxed look

Put aside an area of the garden for the beauty of wildflowers.

Kym Pokorny | Apr 10, 2020 | News story

241 - Rip out your lawn (and replace it with subalpine meadow)

Do you have an eco-lawn? Learn more in this podcast episode with Dr. Allen is Professor of Landscape Management at Brigham Young University.

Jul 2023 | Podcast episode

Sampling for Varroa Mites

Left unchecked, varroa mites can severely damage the colony and lead to collapse. Visual inspection of honey bee adults is not a reliable way to monitor for varroa. This video demonstrates two methods for sampling a colony for varroa mites: the alcohol wash and the powdered sugar shake.

Carolyn Breece | Mar 2019 | Video

What are these blue sheds facing the sunrise?

There is a chunk of farmland between Ontario and Vale that has a number of small, blue shacks on it (mostly on the north side of Hwy 20). Driving past (at highway speeds) we could not figure out what they were for. ...

Bill Buhrig | Jul 2014 | Featured question

Temps are dropping. Should I change the diet for my bees?

I obtained my bees after most of the nectar flow so are needing all the help they can get in obtaining stores to get themselves through the winter. The bees are still flying on some days and are accessing the sugar ...

Anna Ashby | Nov 2019 | Featured question

OSU Honey Bee Lab helps keep pollinators healthy and thriving

The lab focuses its research, Extension, and teaching efforts on three key areas: honey bee health, honey bee nutrition, and honey bee pollination.

Ramesh Sagili | Jun 2021 | Impact story

Garden Ecology Lab shares research-based information for home and community gardens

Launched in 2017, it’s the first lab in the United States wholly focused on socio-ecological research in home and community gardens.

Gail Langellotto | Oct 2020 | Impact story

Woodland Pollinator Stewards enhance bee habitat on private lands

Landowners who took a hybrid course have already enhanced habitat on properties covering 1,719 acres with plans for an additional 902 acres within the next five years.

Lauren Grand | Mar 2022 | Impact story

Painless pollinator primer

STEM Explore Science Club presents pollination in an easy to understand tutorial.

Carrie Caselton Lowe | Jul 2020 | Video

Explore Sciene Club: What's the buzz about bees?

Hey kids, come explore insects and join the effort to help bees. You will look for insects, then make bee nests!

Carrie Caselton Lowe | Jul 2020 | Video

Sweat bees and yarrow

Oregon Bee Atlas participants have documented more than 15 different genera of Oregon bees on Yarrow, including all of the short-tongued bee genera, like the Halictus in the video.

Carol Yamada | Aug 2020 | Video

Bee entomologist

Learn how bees play a role in the first foods of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla – a Greater Oregon STEM Hub video by Carrie Caselton Lowe

Carrie Caselton Lowe | Jul 2020 | Video

Bees in the woods: Creating an inventory of bee habitat features

This video describes how to inventory bee habitat features on your forest/woodland property.

Lauren Grand, Brad Withrow-Robinson, Pat McAbery | Nov 2022 | Video Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Spotting American Foulbrood in your bee colony

American Foulbrood is a rare but devastating disease found in honeybee colonies all around the world, and even here in Oregon. Carolyn Breece from Oregon State University’s Honey Bee Lab shows us a honey bee frame that has...

Jul 2021 | Video

The Wildlife Garden: Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)

This publication describes hummingbirds and their habits. It explains what type of habitat they need and how you can provide habitat in your yard. Includes sources of additional information and fun facts.

Jenelle Jones, Sarah Sells | Nov 2004 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Bats

Bats, which make a lot of people duck and cringe, are actually invaluable insect predators, and given a second look these furry little creatures are actually quite cute.

Jul 2018 | Article

Ask Extension

Have a question? Ask Extension!

Ask Extension is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State University Extension Service. We have experts in family and health, community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry, programs for young people, and gardening.

Ask us a question