Common rock-rose is a low growing evergreen shrub that is found on south facing calcareous grasslands , cliffs and rocks. It flowers from July to September. Flowers are large, with five bright yellow, crinkly petals.
Common rock-rose is an important plant for many pollinators but is best known as being the sole larval foodplant of the northern brown argus butterfly (Aricia Artaxerxes) . It is because of this that work is carried out to ensure that the plant can continue to thrive in what are fast becoming rare habitats.
Common rock-rose also thrives in the soil micro-environment provided by the anthills of another grassland species, the Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius flavus). The bare, open soil provides the perfect aeration for rock-rose root development.
And in a mutual relationship, beneath the hill, the yellow meadow ants farm aphids, which feed on the roots of the Common Rock-rose (and other plants, such as wild thyme). The ants milk these aphids for the sugar-rich honeydew they excrete.
At Deer Park, one of our main objectives is to create a habitat where common rock-rose and its associated invertebrates can flourish.