Common Rock-rose

One with the sun

The yellow rockrose feels most at home growing in dry places between sand, stone or marl. This graceful plant from the warm south is at its best when in the sun: the large, golden-yellow flowers open only when the sun is out. The tough, leathery leaves are oppositely arranged and remain green throughout the winter. When the plant is older, the woody stems sometimes lie directly on the ground. The green, flowering stems on the other hand continue to grow upwards.

It is the characteristic species of the chalk grasslands of southern Limburg. It is also known from grassland near Mook. Butterflies are attracted to this yellow rockrose and the species therefore acts as a host to many different butterflies and moths such as Oberthür's grizzled skipper, the green hairstreak, the brown argus, the wood tiger moth, the square-spot dart moth and the shaded case-bearer moth, as well as the large buff case-bearer moth and Mompha miscella, which are dependent on this plant.