The flowers are visited primarily by small bees and flies. This includes Little Carpenter bees, Halictine bees, Syrphid flies, Tachinid ...Read Moreflies, Blow flies, and others. Wasps and small butterflies are less common visitors. The larvae of a Gall Wasp (Gonaspis sp.) forms galls on the stems. The leaves and stems are occasionally eaten by some mammalian herbivores, such as rabbits and livestock, but it is a minor food source.
This rather ordinary-looking plant resembles Potentilla recta (Sulfur Cinquefoil), an introduced plant, in its erect habit and overall appearance. However, Prairie Cinquefoil has white or cream flowers and hairy pinnate leaves, while Sulfur Cinquefoil has light yellow flowers and less hairy palmate leaves. When ultra-blue light is made visible through a special filter, patterns are revealed in the flowers of many cinquefoils that are not apparent to the human eye, but perceptible by most pollinating insects. These ultra-violet reflecting patterns help the flowers stand out from the background, and may function as nectar guides. Thus, the flowers are colored a combination of white and bee-blue.
The flowers are visited primarily by small bees and flies. This includes Little Carpenter bees, Halictine bees, Syrphid flies, Tachinid ...Read More