Rabbitbrush is lighting up Southern Utah with yellow flowers, attracting an array of bees, beetles and butterflies. And while this plant may trigger some allergies, experts say it plays a crucial role in the desert landscape.

Rabbitbrush is a member of the family Asteraceae, which it shares with species like sagebrush, sunflowers, chamomile, dandelions and lettuce, according to Britannica . Asteraceae contains over 23,000 species, making it one of the largest families of flowering, fruit-bearing plants, known as angiosperms.

There are two genera of rabbitbrush in Utah — Chrysothamnus and Ericameria, Amanda Barth, a rare insect conservation coordinator for Utah State University, told St. George News.

Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) is a common plant throughout Utah and the wes

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