Lesser Four-point Evening-primrose

The nocturnal flowers are pollinated by Sphinx moths; they are also visited by the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and various long-tongued bees, including the oligolectic bees Lasioglossum oenotherae and Anthedonia compta. These visitors seek mostly nectar from the flowers, although some bees also collect pollen for their larvae. Various insects feed on the leaves, seed capsules, or plant juices of Cleland's Evening Primrose and similar species. These insect feeders include the caterpillars of several moths: Hyles lineata (White-Lined Sphinx), Proserpinus juanita (Green-Banded Day Sphinx), Schinia florida (Primrose Moth), Eudryas unio (Pearly Wood Nymph), Phtheochroa oenotherana (Tortricid Moth sp.), and two Mompha spp. (Momphid Moths). Other insect feeders include several flea beetles (Altica spp.), weevils (Tyloderma spp., Chalcoderma collaris, Acanthoscelidius acephalus), and aphids (Anoecia spp., Aphis oestlundi). White-Tailed Deer chomp off the flowering stalks of this wildflower (causing it to branch), while the Common Goldfinch eats the seeds to a minor extent. The foliage is also edible to cattle and other hoofed mammalian herbivores.