#yucca moth

[wtf-fun-factss]

Yucca moths play an important role in the survival of yucca plants. Without the yucca moth, the yucca plant would lose its only pollinator, and without the plant, the moth would lose its food source. Each depends on the other for survival. – WTF Fun Facts

Source: Yucca Moths | National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org)

[thesingingbullfrog]

Are your Yuccas blooming? Look close, closer, closer still. If you are very lucky you will find these tiny Yucca Moths. For going on 40 million years now, neither the yucca plant nor the yucca moth have been able to do without one another. The yucca needs the moth to pollinate the flowers, which only this moth can do; the moth needs the flower in which to deposit its eggs so the developing larvae can have a source of food. The fruit of the yucca is the only thing the young can eat. It is pretty amazing.

[bipbipblip-natural-original-art]

Bird Bookmark

Little Blue Heron, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, and White-throated Swift and Yucca Moth

Based on illustrations from The Southern Swamp Explorer and The Redrock Canyon Explorer by Irene Brady

[m-periwinkle]

Moths! Fall webworm moth, poplar hawk moth, yucca moth, large emerald moth

References: x, x, x, x

[rjzimmerman]

How a Tree and Its Moth Shaped the Mojave Desert

The partnership between the Joshua tree and the yucca moth may be key to understanding how plants and insects co-evolve

The great love affair of the desert: the joshua tree and its moth.

But there’s a problem here. The joshua tree is critically threatened by climate change. The night time lows are higher than they have been, and daytime highs are getting higher, drying out the already dry soil. Scientists estimate that the range of joshua trees within Joshua Tree National Park by the end of the century will be 10% of what that range currently is. Joshua trees are naturally moving northward and upward in elevation: cooler and wetter. But the question is: will the yucca moth migrate with the joshua tree? If it won’t, then what happens?

Excerpt:

We’ll start with the Joshua tree, the Mojave Desert’s most iconic plant. With its spiny fronds and clubbed tufts topped by pungent, waxy flowers twisting towards the desert sky, this desert-adapted shrub has a reputation for otherworldliness. Everyone who passes through the desert remembers the majestic Joshua tree; its namesake has inspired artists, filmmakers and many a sojourner in search of transcendence.

Few travelers, however, wax poetic about its evolutionary partner, the yucca moth. The small, dun bug is initially unassuming, but upon closer inspection, it is an equally extraterrestrial match for the iconic Joshua tree. Instead of a regular mouthpiece, it sports bizarre, tentacle-like fronds, the likes of which are unique among insects—and serve an essential purpose in the desert ecosystem.

Without nectar to attract pollinators, Joshua trees rely solely on this unassuming moth for pollination. Yucca moths use their dexterous jaw appendages to collect pollen from Joshua tree flowers and deposit it on the female parts of each flower as the moth moves between blooms. In turn, the moth lays her eggs with its thin, blade-like ovipositor on the flowers’ seeds.

When they hatch, the yucca moth caterpillars eat the seeds—their only food source—before crawling to the ground to form cocoons. And the cycle begins again.

According to Christopher Smith, a biologist at Willamette University who studies pollinator relationships, the relationship between yucca moths and Joshua trees is unlike anything else in the natural world. He should know: Smith has long studied the diverse relationships between insects and plants  in the desert. His previous research focused on cactus longhorn beetles and the spiny plant species they interact with throughout the Sonoran Desert. But nothing, he says, compares to the Joshua tree and the yucca moth.

Most pollinators accidentally assist the plants they pollinate. Bees and birds will brush up against pollen while they are feeding on a flower’s nectar, spreading it from plant to plant as they continue a day’s feast. Not yucca moths: because their caterpillars depend on the continued existence of Joshua trees and their tasty seeds, the yucca moth’s pollination is an active act of survival. Moreover, this partnership has been going on for millions of years.

Joshua trees do more than provide artistic inspiration: they create essential environmental support for the uncompromising desert ecosystem. These hideously beautiful shrubs provide food and shelter for animals in the Mojave scrublands, where resources are notoriously scarce. During the spring, its flowers are one of the only sources of wet food available for insects, ravens, and ground squirrels.

Yet today, their long-lived partnership may be in danger of breaking down, as the Joshua tree’s natural habitat faces new threats.

The unremarkable-looking yucca moth is one half of an evolutionary partnership that dates back millions of years. (Will (Tad) Cole)

[vintagewildlife]

Yucca moth By: Michael P. L. Fogden From: Wildlife of the Deserts 1980

[vintagewildlife]

Yucca moth By: Michael Fogden From: Wild, Wild World of Animals: Insects & Spiders 1977

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Yucca Moth - Tegeticula sp.

I present to you all a new delightful new specie for the blog, and a rare specimen at that. We'll need to make a small detour back to the order Coleoptera for a bit of content since there is another insect that favors the plant alongside this fluffy Moth (even though I mentioned previously that Coleoptera had been examined enough for now). With summer getting warmer and rain nourishing the plants of the neighborhood, yucca plants create their long stalks and unveil their flowers with hopes of pollination. The ones in our yard have yet to open, but when they do, I'm expecting the Brown Yucca Beetles to return and make the most of the flowers for themselves and devour the nourishment they have to offer. While those little beans are common, the more interesting insect to document while watching yuccas blossom are the Yucca Moths of the family Prodoxidae. For the purposes of identification, Yucca Moths all have a similar form, but are not limited to white plumage. Some have dark spots, and their hindwings can feature dark colors and some even appear golden. Pay close attention to the colors of their legs and antennae as well. Looking beyond appearances, these creatures are the sole effective pollinators of yucca flowers and the yucca plants themselves are a food source for the hungry Moth larvae.

The interactions between this insect and plant has resulted in a special mutualistic relationship over the years. Specifically, it's to the point where they've influenced each other's evolution and they need each other in order to exist. In instances of True Yucca Moths, the adult Moth pollinates the flower and ensures seed production as a result; the Caterpillars later on feed on the developing seeds (and the stem innards) of the plant. There's always enough to go around, and yet Yucca Moths are quite rare in Ontario. There are instances however, where other Yucca Moths don't pollinate the plant but still lay their eggs somewhere on the plant (they've earned the name Bogus Yucca Moths - genus Prodoxus) to ensure their Caterpillars will have food when they hatch. This individual is definitely a pollinator though as can be discerned from Picture 5. Bogus Moths feed on plant using a coiled proboscis while pollinating Moths have grasping mouthparts which they use to roll pollen into puffs and carry them to other yucca flowers. It's by pure luck that I noticed this one, but I'm glad it chose me and landed on my land.

Pictures were taken on June 25, 2023 with a Google Pixel 4. The post uploaded early before the final draft was pasted in, apologies for that.