The hottest insect bar in Tehachapi
The hottest insect bar in Tehachapi
By: Jon Hammond
Topics:
Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 737 times
0 responses 0 comments In the human world, businesses offering refreshments are known as restaurants, bars or coffee houses and are popular gathering places. In the insect world, refreshments are often provided by plants and these too are popular gathering places. Some of the hottest insect watering holes in the Tehachapi area are narrowleaf milkweed plants (Ascelpias fascicularis).
I’ve written about these plants before (they are November’s topic in this year’s Tehachapi 101 calendar) and I mentioned their importance to pre-contact Nüwa (Kawaiisu) Indians of Tehachapi, who used the plant’s fibrous inner bark to make string. The Nüwa word for both string and milkweed plants is wuh-iv.
For insects, narrowleaf milkweed is a supreme source of flower nectar and plant juices. I have photographed dozens of different insect species drinking at narrowleaf milkweed blossoms. A widespread and hardy plant, they can suddenly appear as quickly as a new Starbucks and are just as well-patronized.
Though narrowleaf milkweed’s small clusters of tiny white blossoms are not particularly showy, they do produce ample nectar for the myriad of insects who land on the flowers. These thirsty visitors include many butterfly species, like Monarchs (who lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed plants), Tiger Swallowtails, Queens, Cabbage Whites, and many others.
Many species of bees and wasps also visit narrowleaf milkweed to nourish themselves on nectar. These range in size from tiny wild bees that are barely visible to honeybees and large, heavy-bodied bumblebees. Another frequent visitor is the largest member of the wasp family in North America, the tarantula hawk (Pepsis chrysothemis).
These giants are common in Tehachapi and easy to identify: they have startling dark blue velvet bodies and beautiful orange wings, and they fly with their legs dangling down so out of the corner of your eye it looks likes a little fairy just flew by. They actively hunt tarantulas to serve as food for their larvae and they are reputed to have the most painful sting of any insect in the country. They are not at all aggressive to humans, however, and stings are exceedingly rare.
In addition to the winged visitors who drop by the milkweed plants for a quick drink, there are also many insects that reside on milkweed fulltime, either eating foliage or sucking plant juices. These include Milkweed Leaf Beetles, several species of Aphids, Milkweed Bugs and others.
These creatures are apparently immune to the toxic chemicals in milkweed but it seems that consuming milkweed on a regular basis confers a toxicity to these insects, so that predators ignore them. Rather than being camoflaged in subtle colors to avoid detection, these milkweedaholics loudly advertise their untasty presence with bright or shiny colors.
Even as humans whiz by in their cars (perhaps on their way to a favorite dining establishment) roadside milkweed plants are hosting scores of insects seeking their own nourishment. By any standard, Ascelpias fasicularis is a successful franchise. . .
Have a good week.
| Send to a Friend | Report a Violation |
