iRide.2020.05.10 Obligation

Identification of species is not my strong suit, but if this is a yucca then it's the first one I have seen in bloom this year. If it's not a yucca then it's the first whatever etc etc. Whichever, it's a dramatic sight on the roadside. The plant has obligate pollinators that are members of the Prodoxidae family of moths. Neither can survive without the other.

The relationship between the yucca and the moth is more complex than even the abstruse 'obligate pollinator' description suggests. The two linked Wikipedia articles make an interesting read for enquiring minds. I particularly enjoyed this sentence: "Interactions of these organisms range from obligate mutualism to commensalism to outright antagonism." That sounds more like a human family than a relationship between a plant and an insect.

Horses is horses. One was white and the other was brown. What more can I say except that they were friendly? I think the birds are a red-wing blackbird and a red-tailed hawk. There are red-wing blackbirds in abundance this year and their singing is delightful. I have seen fewer red-tailed hawks so far. I do know that bird populations fluctuate dramatically, mostly in response to over-wintering and migration issues. Perhaps conditions have been favorable for the blackbirds and detrimental for the hawks. Human intervention may also be a factor.

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