Close up view of "Wooly Devil" / NPS

At Big Bend National Park, a routine day took a wild turn when two staffers discovered a tiny, mysterious plant unlike any they’d seen before. Digging deeper, they confirmed it was a brand-new species, entirely uncharted by science. Researchers have since detailed its discovery—complete with DNA insights that map its unique place in the Asteraceae family—in the respected journal PhytoKeys.

Back in March 2024, a park botany volunteer and a supervisory interpretive ranger first spotted a few of these minuscule plants scattered among desert rocks in a remote northern area of the park. The fuzzy foliage and unusual flower immediately stood out as something different.

They snapped some photos and consulted species databases, herbarium records, plant taxonomy publications, local experts, and even posted the images online for help. Soon enough, the buzz grew: these plants weren’t just odd—they were completely unknown.

Teamwork kicked in as researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, Sul Ross University, and Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional joined forces with park staff. Their genetic analysis confirmed that this plant isn’t just a new species—it’s distinct enough to be classified as a brand-new genus in the Asteraceae family.

Inspired by its look, the plant was officially named Ovicula biradiata. “Ovicula” means “tiny sheep,” a nod to the thick, white, wool-like covering on its leaves, while “biradiata” highlights the two standout ray petals on each flower. The research team has also taken to calling it “wooly” or the “wooly devil.”

“Now that we’ve identified and named the species, there’s a ton we still need to learn,” said Big Bend National Park Superintendent Anjna O’Connor. “I’m excited to see if there are more populations, to learn about its life cycle and pollinators, and to find out if we’ll even see it again this spring given the drought.”

Spanning 801,165 acres and featuring a mix of riparian ecosystems, desert bajadas, and sky island woodlands, Big Bend National Park is a biodiversity treasure. Other cool finds here recently include the fossil of a new duck-billed dinosaur species (Malefica deckerti) and the rediscovery of an oak (Quercus tardifolia) once thought extinct.