Showy milkweed attracted the greatest number of benef icials. After evaluating more than 40 flowering perennial plant species, Dr. David James found that while virtually all the plants attracted beneficial insects, some plants attracted more groups ofinsects than others. The evaluation was in preparation for James's research project launched this year called Beauty with Benefits. All of the plants chosen for his study were growing wild in natural sage steppe landscapes in the Yakima Valley. He assessed the plants' attractiveness to beneficials by placing sticky yellow traps on or adjacent to the plants during spring and late summer and analyzing trap catches.
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