Rare Plants of New Mexico

I am on a mission, a wild plant hunt

To find the rarest, most special flora of the runt

The struggling plant species throughout the state

The munched, tired, living on specific substrate

Many grow near roads, trails, oil and gas

Where their little stems don’t stand a chance

Townsendia, the sweet little desert daisy

Thrives on gypsum soil and trails that go crazy

Astragalus, the yummy little pea

Grows in PJ shrublands with glee

Eriogonum, the vibrant buckwheat

Bright yellow flowers lookin so sweet

On gypsum soil is where it is found

And oil and gas is always around

Bracks cactus, the tiniest little thing

Easy to miss, until you feel it’s sting

All these plants are important and sweet

Bringing diversity only they can meet

Tagging, surveying, monitoring a’plenty

This work is tedious but the rewards are many

Helping understand population, habitat, and needs

In order to conserve and protect these plants and their seeds!