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Discovering the Desert / Diverse Landscapes

Yucca Moth

Yucca Moth

Joshua trees have a unique relationship with the yucca moth (Tegeticula antithetica and Tegeticula synthetica). In an example of Darwinian co-evolution, Joshua tree flowers are the only hosts for yucca moth eggs and larvae, and the moth is the tree’s sole pollinator.

National Park Service photograph
White Sands National Park