Lanceleaf Stonecrop (Sedum lanceolatum) is a perennial found in a variety of dry habitats throughout western North America, including rocky outcrops, grasslands, shrublands, and open coastal landscapes. This specific subspecies, “nesioticum”, is named for its unique island habitats, in which it is found growing in thin maritime soils and cracks in the bedrock. The succulent, lanceolate leaves can range from lime green and sprawling, to red or purple and densely “hedgehog-like”, depending on environmental conditions. 
 
The exact flowering season can vary considerably depending on conditions, but blooming typically begins in late spring and continues through summer. The low, open panicles of tiny, star-shaped yellow flowers are heavily laden with nectar and serve as an important food source for native bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and syrphid flies. The lush, low foliage provides habitat and cover for small invertebrates and insects, which in turn attract beneficial insectivorous predators such as snakes, lizards, and birds. Lanceleaf Stonecrop is the host plant for the Rocky Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus), an alpine butterfly whose larvae bioaccumulate a bitter alkaloid present in the leaves, thus increasing their own unpalatability to predators. 
 
Lanceleaf Stonecrop is also well-suited for container gardening, xeriscapes, sunlit pathway borders, and green roofs. Plants thrive in soils ranging from sandy and loamy to rocky substrates, as long as they are well-draining. For successful germination, surface sow the seeds on prepared, sandy soil in fall or late winter and press them gently into the substrate. A small percentage of seeds are usually not dormant, but germination generally improves greatly with cold stratification. Maintain even moisture until germination occurs and seedlings are well established. Once mature, plants can be cloned from small fragments with minimal effort.