Yucca Moth & Yucca Plants

Identification

• The yucca moth adult features a white to silver appearance and is typically less than 1 inch long. Its wings are typically brownish in color.

Function

• The yucca moth lays eggs in the yucca plant. After the larvae hatch, they use the yucca's seeds as a food source. Meanwhile, the yucca plant depends on the adult moths for pollination.

Pollination

• The female yucca moth carries a ball of pollen about three times larger than her head from one yucca flower to another.

Potential Risk

• While this mutual relationship benefits both the plant and the moth, it puts each species at great risk. Should populations of one species decline, the other would as well because survival is dependent upon one another.

Gardening

• Gardeners growing yucca plants in the home garden should never trap or kill yucca moths.