Mojave yucca rely on the female yucca moth for pollination. The moth lays her eggs in the plant's flowers and the larvae hatch and feed on some of the seeds cultivated by their mother. Eventually, the larvae drill a small hole in the blossom and drop to the ground on a silky thread. They dig themselves in and remain buried until next year when they hatch out as moths to repeat the cycle. Only yucca moths can pollinate yucca plants.
The evolution of these two mutually supportive forms of life is another one of the many mysteries of the desert.
< Previous - Next >
A yucca moth rests in a Mojave aster
Mojave yucca (yucca schidigera)
| features - ecology: wildlife - plants - places - region map - map/sat - roads & trails - wilderness - video - aerial - 360 - old west - communities - books - lodging |
| route 66 - ghost towns - gold mines - parks & ... - joshua tree - death valley - mojave preserve - native culture - history - natural features - geology - glossary - comments |
|
Wrightwood Real Estate MOUNTAIN HOMES & CABINS Vacation Rentals & Homes for Sale |
Log Cabin Furnishings Lodgepole Pine Log Furniture Rustic Decor & Silhouette Metal Art |
HighDesertRED.com High Desert Real Estate Directory -- |
|
Digital-Desert Abraxas Engineering privacy |
Copyright ©Walter Feller. All rights reserved. Respect U.S and international copyright statutes and our right to own and control our work - DO NOT LINK TO THESE IMAGES FROM WEB PAGES, FORUMS OR BLOGS - |
Desert Gazette |