Yucca /Yucca Moth caterpillar

Description:

Yucca seed pods about 50mm. Yucca Moth caterpillar about 8mm.

Habitat:

Mostly rural area.

Notes:

Yucca and Yucca Moths exhibit a remarkable display of mutualism in that each is dependent on the other. Yucca Moths are the only known pollinators of Yucca plants and the seeds of Yucca plants are the sole food source of Yucca caterpillars. A yucca moth will lay an egg on the flower of a Yucca, pollinating it in the process. The plant then produces a seed pod in which the Yucca Moth caterpillar grows. The caterpillar feeds on the seeds of the Yucca, but always leaves some seeds untouched. 124