yucca moth oviposition
A female yucca moth (Tegeticula antithetica) oviposits on the flower of a Joshua tree (Yucca jaegeriana). Four petals have been removed from the flower to allow a view into the corolla tube. The moth’s tentacles are visible on either side of her proboscis, coiled around a ball of pollen. A new study documents the co-evolved relationship between the plant and insect. (Photo credit: Christopher L. Smith, Ph.D.)