Scarlet Globemallow + Honey Bee

Scarlet globemallow, related to its European relative the hollyhock, was one of the last plant specimens collected on the Lewis and Clark expedition. It prefers very dry, poor soil, and flourishes on disturbed/overgrazed land due to its long taproots and spreading rhizomes. Growth is upright and sprawling, rarely more than 16 inches tall. Also known as “prairie mallow” and “cowboy’s delight,” its bright orange blooms contrast with deep gray-green hairy foliage from May to October every year on the prairie. Deer and other wildlife graze on the plant. The Northern Cheyenne and Dakota tribes also used scarlet globemallow in their ceremonies, treated skin wounds, and Navajo used it as a tea to improve appetite.

Scarlet Globemallow is accompanied by honey bee, a VIP of the pollinator sector. From National Geographic: “Honeybees are important pollinators for flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They live on stored honey and pollen all winter and cluster into a ball to conserve warmth. All honeybees are social and cooperative insects. Members of the hive are divided into three types. Workers forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean, and circulate air by beating their wings. The queen’s job is simple—she lays the eggs that will spawn the hive’s next generation of bees. There is usually only a single queen in a hive. If the queen dies, workers will create a new queen by feeding one of the worker females a special food called “royal jelly.” This elixir enables the worker to develop into a fertile queen.”

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame.

*This piece is available at Alina Collective in downtown Fargo. Please visit or contact to purchase.

716 Main Avenue

Fargo, ND 58103

701-532-1173