Name: Ants(Formicadae) Description: Evolving from solitary wasps, ants are pollinators of many low growing desert plants and high elevation. They are typically attracted to red or brown floral colorations and faint sweet smells.

Name: Bees (Apinae) Description: Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are the most efficient pollinators because of their intellegence. They are able encounter a flower and in other visits to similar flowers will access the nectar and pollen faster. They are typically attracted to sweet smelling flowers

Name: Butterfly Lepidoptera) Description: Butterflies are important pollinators, fluttering around from flower to flower transferring pollen in the process. Their effectiveness as pollinators is only surpassed by their beauty!

Name: Cochineal Description: While the cochineal beetle doesn't pollinate its host, it does play a role in the life cycle of the Opuntia cactus. Cochineal is known as a source of a brilliant red dye. Due to the rarity of natural sources of the color red in the Southwest, the Opuntia cactus, infected with the parasitic cochineal beetle was cultivated, thereby increasing the propagation of this plant.

Name: Fly (Diptera) Description: Flies are important pollinators of the greater Southwest.

Name: Fly Agaric Description: Also known as the "brother of birch". This mushroom shares a symbiotic mycorhizal relationship with birch trees.

Name: Grasshopper Description: While not necessarily a pollinator. Grasshoppers do their part in the ecology of plants. While they are known to consume crops during certain years, it is noted that by not cutting neighboring grasses and increasing the diversity of crops grown in a small area the grasshoppers are kept in balance. If all else fails, remember grasshoppers are a good source of protein!

Name: Moths (Lepidoptera) Description: These insects are pollinators of inflorecences that typically nocturnally and crepusclar blooming. Often the flowers are white and highly dissected. Many species of plants have a symbiotic relationship with only one moth species.

Name: Spider Description: Spiders are beneficial insects which help to keep the populations of other insects in balance. It is important not to use pesticides because they often destroy the spiders thereby allowing other less beneficial insects to flourish. Spider plays an important role in the myths of many Southwestern peoples.

Name: Tegiticula spp. Description: At night this specialized female moth fertilizes the Yucca plant and lays its eggs in the fruit where they gestate and finally eat their way out.

Name: Wasp (Vespidae) Description: Wasps do their work very much like Bees. However they are not as intellegent as Bees.