This lecture was given in July, 2012 as part of the California native plant gardening series ‘Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden’.

1. Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants
Project SOUND – 2012 (our 8th year)
© Project SOUND

2. Flower Flies & Friends:
Fly Pollinators & Other
Beneficial Dipterans in the
Garden and the Wild
C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSU Dominguez Hills & Madrona Marsh Preserve
Arthur Johnson Center – Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland
Preserve
July 12, 2012 © Project SOUND

3. I’m worried about our food
 Global climate change
 Decreasing effectiveness of artificial pest control
 Loss of crop biodiversity
 Genetic modification of crop plants
 Loss of native habitat
© Project SOUND

4. Colony Collapse Disorder – our wake-up call
http://bee-rapture.blogspot.com/2009/04/found-cause-of-colony-
collapse-disorder.html
© Project SOUND

5. Can we still find answers in the wild?
© Project SOUND

6. Who in the heck are all those little guys?
© Project SOUND

7. Class Insecta – the insects
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/entomology/intro.html
© Project SOUND

8. Dipterans are numerous
 Flies actually represent a
large part of metazoan
diversity. There are about 1
million named insect species.
http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/2008/12/5/the-species-scape.html
 With ~152,000 named
species and many more
unnamed species, flies
account for no less than 1 in
10 species on Earth
 And most of those species
are living lives that benefit
the environment
© Project SOUND
http://insects.tamu.edu/students/undergrad/ento402/Arthropoda_files/Arthropoda_number_organisms.html

9. How many insect species? Difficult to
know for sure
 Some of the numbers of
named insects species are:
 Beetles, 360,000
 Butterflies and Moths:
170,000
 Flies: 120,000-150,000+
 Bees, wasps and ants:
110,000
 True bugs: 82,000
 Grasshoppers: 20,000
 Dragonflies: 5,000
http://insects.tamu.edu/students/undergrad/ento402/Arthropoda_files/Arthropoda_number_organi
sms.html
© Project SOUND

10. Evolution of the
Flies
1. There are many
families/sub-orders
of Dipterans
2. There’s lots of
diversity among them
3. Families vary in size/
number of species
4. Some of the sub-
orders & families are
quite ancient, while
others are more
recent
© Project SOUND
http://www.pnas.org/content/108/14/5690/F3.large.jpg

11. How old are the
Dipterans?
http://www.internal.schools.net.au/edu/lesson_ideas/dinosaurs/dino_wksht3.html
http://destinationofmarvel.blogspot.com/2010/10/geological-timeline.html
 3,125 species are known only from fossils
 The oldest, a limoniid crane fly, is some 225 MILLION years
old (Upper Triassic (Carnian). © Project SOUND

12. Some ancient Dipterans
look very similar to
today’s species
http://www.fossilmall.com/EDCOPE_Enterprises/Insects/I2/I2.htm
50 million year old Crane Fly
 Dipterans are successful insects that
have succeeded – and diversified –
over time
 They must be well-adapted to their
environment(s) – and tough (survived
massive climate changes in past)
© Project SOUND
http://www.amberabg.com/a_for_sale/inclusions_zd22.html

13. The true flies (Diptera)  One of the most species
rich, anatomically varied
and ecologically innovative
groups of organisms
 An estimated 150,000+
species of Diptera have
been described, however,
the total number of extant
fly species is many times
greater.
 The living dipteran species
have been classified into
about :
 10,000 genera, 150
families
 22-32 superfamilies
 8-10 infraorders
 2 suborders
© Project SOUND

14. http://biokeys.berkeley.edu/inverts/diptera.html
Distinguishing Diptera
(true flies) from bees
 Diptera have only one pair of
wings; a second pair of wings
evolved into small dumb-bell
shaped "halteres", which are
used for balance during flight.
Typical Fly (The two-winged fly is an
advancement in flight; that why
flies can hover)
 No stinger
 Sucking mouthparts
 Very large, compound eyes
 Antennae: either long or short.
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-identify-the-basic-body-parts-of-honey-bees.html © Project SOUND

15. Bee mimics are common
among Dipterans
 Some flies, such as syrphids,
masquerade as bees and wasps.
The syrphid fly is a bee mimic. However, the pollinating flies can
be distinguished with a sharp eye –
Photo by Beatriz Moisset 2002-2004.
or better yet, a camera.
 The flies have only one pair of
wings while bees and wasps have
two pairs of wings.
 Comical, robust and extremely hairy
are the bee flies (bombylids), some
with tongues as long as their
bodies!
The tachnid fly is similar in general
appearance to bees or wasps.
© Project SOUND

16. Full 4-stage life cycle (like a butterfly)
 Egg - laid in a variety of
environments, based on
species
 Larva – usually several
stages – wide variation in
food sources (parasitic;
plant; dung; decaying
matter
 Pupa – brief or may
include a hibernation
 Adult
© Project SOUND

17. Flies have been disliked in many cultures
http://avaxhome.ws/video/fly_tales.html
But their attributes have been
elevated to hero status in
others
http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2011/08/unseen-fly-justice-of-chen-fang.html
© Project SOUND

18. Flies have gotten a bad reputation
 Just a few species of flies
command the most public attention
 Among them are important pests:
 House flies – pesky; bite; carriers
 Horse flies “
 Mosquitoes “
Housefly: Musca domestica
 Blow-flies flies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-fly
Blue-bottle Fly: a common Blow-fly
Horse-fly: family Tabanidae © Project SOUND

19. Why don’t we hear more about the good
Dipterans?
 They are harder to study &
watch/photograph/raise
 They are less specialized –
people tend to like to study
specialized creatures
 They are not as cute as other
pollinators – ‘fuzzy bees’ – lacking
in the charisma department
 They have gotten a bad rap – the
‘yuck factor’
 They need a new PR person
http://www.zazzle.com/house_fly_t_shirt-235110274153973276
© Project SOUND

20. Why we should worry about Dipterans:
importance of flies to ecosystems
 Pollinators
 Pest control agents – aphids,
beetle grubs, moth caterpillars
 Food for others (bats; reptiles;
fish; birds; other insects)
 Decomposers & soil conditioners
 Water quality indicators
 And much more (including some
functions we probably don’t even
know yet)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0341816203001280
© Project SOUND

21. Why worry about pollinators?
 Pollinators are “keystone organisms”
in most terrestrial ecosystems.
 Pollinators are essential for
maintaining the integrity,
productivity and sustainability of
many types of ecosystems: natural
areas, pastures, fields, meadows,
roadsides, many agricultural crops,
fruit orchards, and backyard
vegetable and flower gardens.
 Without insect pollinators, many
flowering plants would eventually
become extinct.
 Without the work of pollinators,
many fruit- and seed-eating birds
and some mammals, including people,
would have a less varied and less
healthy diet. © Project SOUND

22. Why worry about Dipterans? Can’t the
bees do the pollination work?
 Flies and bees are the two most
important insect pollinator groups.
 Over 71 families of Diptera are
known to visit and pollinate
flowers, linking the fate of plants
and animals.
 Depending on the region, the time
It turns out the pollination is of the day, the flowering
a lot more complex than phenology and weather conditions,
early agricultural studies flies may be the main or
lead us to believe exclusive pollinators, or share
pollination services with bees and
other pollinator groups.
© Project SOUND

23. Even before colony collapse disorder,
some people were concerned…
 Depending on a single source
– for anything – should make
us all nervous
 Better to ‘diversify the
portfolio’ – Dipterans are a
part
http://therealnewsjournal.com/?tag=colony-collapse-disorder
http://urbangardencasual.com/2009/04/28/possible-
cure-for-honey-bee-colony-collapse-disorder-discovered/
European Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
© Project SOUND

24. Diptera – our oldest and most wide-
spread pollinators
 Diptera, the true flies, are an
important, but neglected
group of pollinators.
 They are an ancient group,
and were probably among the
first pollinators of early
flowering plants.
 Flies live almost everywhere
in terrestrial ecosystems –
arctics to tropics
 Are abundant in most
terrestrial habitats
© Project SOUND

25. Fly pollinators: specialists & generalists
 Dipterans are an extremely diverse
group, varying in mouth parts, tongue
length, size and degree of pilosity.
 The diversity of flower-visiting flies is
reflected in their effectiveness as
pollinators. Some flies, such as long-
http://www.geraniumsonline.com/pollination.htm tongued tabanids of South Africa,
have specialized relationships with
individual flower genera/species (much
like some bees/butterflies)
 Other flies are generalists, feeding
from a wide variety of flowers. But
they like to visit many of the same
type while they’re in the neighborhood
© Project SOUND
http://scienceblogs.com/myrmecos/2008/12/31/slurp/

26. In some situations, flies are the main
pollinators, so they clearly have potential
 In some habitats, such as the
forest under-story where shrubs
may produce small, inconspicuous,
dioecious flowers, flies seem to be
particularly important pollinators.
 In arctic and alpine environments,
under conditions of reduced bee
activity, flies are often the main
pollinators of open, bowl-shaped
flowers, with readily accessible
pollen and nectar.
© Project SOUND

27. How does Mother Nature play it safe with
regards to pollination?
 Most insect pollinated flowers receive visits
from several different types of insects:
bees, flies, beetles, bugs, etc.
 In a study of 2200 CA plant species:
 71% of the out-crossing species were visited
By hedging her odds
by two potential pollinators
 49% were visited by three or more potential
pollinators
 Redundancy in pollination systems is
probably the rule, rather than the
exception.
© Project SOUND

28. How do the Dipterans compare to other
pollinators? The experts say…
 Many flies are generalists; their contributions
to plant reproductive success are sometimes
discounted because of their reputation as
ineffective pollinators.
 However, the complexity of interactions in
redundant pollination systems is little studied
& deserves further attention.
 When multiple pollinator species visit the
same flowers, their respective value as
pollinators is interdependent and may
differ from year-to-year or even over the
course of the flowering season.
 Inefficient pollinators are needed when the
more efficient pollinators are absent
© Project SOUND

29. Bee vs Fly pollination: the tortoise & the hare
 Conditions affecting bee populations can be
quite different from those affecting fly
populations due to the great difference in
larval requirements.
 Many types of flies have few hairs when
compared to bees, and pollen is less likely to
adhere to the body surface. But under
conditions when bees are scarce, an
inefficient pollinator is better than none.
 Higher flight activities of flies may well
compensate lower pollen carrying capacity.
Even in cases where honeybees are abundant
on flowers and specialised bees are foraging,
flower flies (Syrphidae) can be the most
effective pollinators producing the highest
seed set. © Project SOUND

30. Oregon study: Mountain Meadows
-Presence of host plant pollen
Syrphid flies Bumble bee
Present Absent

31. So what kinds of plants are known to be
Dipteran pollinated?
 At least seventy-one of the 150
Diptera families include flies that
feed at flowers as adults.
 More than 550 species of flowering
plants are regularly visited by
Diptera that are potential
pollinators. And that’s just the tip
Drone fly pollinating aster of the iceberg: few fly pollinator
surveys exist!
 Diptera have been documented to be
primary pollinators for many plant
species, both wild and cultivated.
© Project SOUND

32. Cultivated plants pollinated by flies
 More than 100 cultivated crops are regularly visited by flies and
depend largely on fly pollination for abundant fruit set and seed
production . Examples:
 The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao)
 Tropical fruits such as Mango (Mangifera indica), Capsicum annuum and
Piper nigrum, pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
 Fruit-bearing Rosaceae: Apple (Malus domestica) and Pear (Pyrus
communis) trees, strawberries (Fragaria vesca, F. x ananassa), Prunus
species (cherries, plums, apricot and peach), Sorbus species (e.g.
Rowanberry) and most of the Rubus-species (Raspberry, Blackberry,
Cloudberry etc.) as well as the wild rose
 Spices and vegetable plants of the family Apiaceae like fennel ( Foeniculum
vulgare), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), caraway (Carum carvi), kitchen
onions (Allium cepa), parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and carrots (Daucus
carota)
 In addition a large number of wild relatives of food plants, numerous
medicinal plants and cultivated garden plants benefit from fly
pollination.
© Project SOUND

33. What native plants attract fly pollinators?
The ‘insect-magnet’ plants
 Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
 Yarrow (Achillea millefolia)
 Goldenrods (Solidago & Euthamia spp.)
 Fall-blooming shrubs (Baccharis; Ericameria; Goldenbushes,
Tarplants
 Rose family
 Pink and white-flowered species
 The Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.)
© Project SOUND

34. Why are these plants ‘insect magnets’?
© Project SOUND

35. Western Yarrow – Achilla millefolia

36. The Yarrows – horticultural plants extraordinaire
 Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower
family)
 Cultivated in Europe ??thousands
of years
 About half a dozen species are
commonly grown as garden plants
 Natural variation in color has been
exploited – many named cultivars –
yellow, pink, red, purple
 The species name, millefolium-of a
thousand leaves-describes the
fine, feathery foliage which
resembles a fern.
http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/Cornell_Herbaceous
/plant_pages/Achilleamillefolium.html

37. Western Yarrow – Achilla millefolia
 Found in most of CA
 60-100 species of Achillia
worldwide – northern
hemisphere
 In CA, found in seasonally wet
places:
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,615,616
 Meadows and pastures
 Along stream edges
 In sand dunes
 Along alkali sinks
 On coastal strand
 In coastal grasslands
 In Coastal Sage Scrub and
Chaparral
http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/astera/achil/achimilv.jpg

38. Western Yarrow can be used in many ways!
 Slopes, hillsides
 Mixtures
 Good garden plant for fresh or dry
floral arrangements
 Foliage is pleasantly fragrant when
crushed – used for tea, medicinals
 Can be mowed to form a highly
competitive ground cover to
control soil erosion.
 Flowers!!!
 Good butterfly/insect plant
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

39. Success with Yarrow
is almost guaranteed
 Yarrow can endure dry,
impoverished soil
 Survives with little
maintenance – neglect
 Best in full sun; grows but less
flowering in shade
 A true perennial taking two
years to become established
 Included in most commercial
mixed ‘native lawn’ mixes
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

40. Why Yarrow makes a good lawn substitute
 Spreads quickly, giving good
cover
 Super for banks and other areas
that can’t easily be mowed
 Spreading habit inhibits weeds
 Can be mowed – occasionally and
on high setting w/ rotary mower
 Companion plant – attracts
beneficial insects, repels others
 Does well on poor, dry, sandy
soils where other plants grow
poorly
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/yarrow.JPG

41. What is it about Yarrow that attracts?
 White/pink color
 Many tiny flowers per cluster; many clusters per plant
 Flower structure relative open; easy to access
 Floral clusters relatively flat – also allows easy access
 +/- Sweet scent
 Produce lots of high quality nectar & pollen
© Project SOUND

42. So we’ve discovered one type of ‘fly plant’
 Myophily
 Adult flies feed on nectar & pollen; less
often on fruit
 Common examples: bee flies
(Bombyliidae), hoverflies (Syrphidae)
 Regularly visit flowers to feed, while also
pollinating.
 Sapromyophily
 Adults normally visit dead animals or
dung to lay eggs.
 Attracted to flowers that mimic these
odoriferous items. These plants have a
strong, unpleasant odor, and are brown
Skunk cabbage's strong smell or orange in color.
and dark color attract carrion  The plant may have traps to slow them
flies that lay their eggs thinking
that it is rotting flesh.
down and become inadvertent pollinators
© Project SOUND

43.  Pale color (whites, pinks, purples
Myophily fly flowers and blues most common)
 Dull surface; may be nectar
guides
 Produce abundant pollen
 Produce high quality nectar
 Flower are open; nectar easily
available
 Male and female parts of the
flower are well exposed.
 Many of these flowers are
Buckwheats (Eriogonum) are good
candidates as fly flowers scented, but for the most part,
the scent is imperceptible.
© Project SOUND

44. What native plants attract fly pollinators?
The ‘insect-magnet’ plants
 Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
 Yarrow (Achillea millefolia)
 Native Thistles (Cirsium)
 Goldenrods (Solidago & Euthamia spp.)
 Fall-blooming shrubs (Baccharis; Ericameria; Goldenbushes
 Rose family
 Pink and white-flowered species
 The Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.)
 Native Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.)
 The Mustard family (Brassicaceae)
 Euphorbia & Sedum species
 The Carrot family (Apiaceae) © Project SOUND

45. Water Parsley – Oenanthe sarmentosa
© 2002 Brad Kelley
© Project SOUND

46. Water Parsley – Oenanthe sarmentosa
 Coastal California to
British Columbia Canada;
also western Sierra
foothills
 Local historically: Ballona,
West LA, San Pedro, Long
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,478,480
Beach (Bixby Ranch)
 Grows in marshes, ditches,
pond edges, slow-moving
streams, seasonally wet
places, from near coastline
up to ~ 5000 ft.
© Project SOUND
© 2006, G. D. Carr

47. Large plants in the Carrot Family
* Henderson’s Angelica –
Water Parsley – Angelica hendersonii
Common Cowparsnip – Oenanthe
Heracleum maximum sarmentosa
4-8 ft. tall; very large coarse leaves
© Project SOUND

48. Queen Anne’s Lace: natural roadsides
and grandmother’s garden
 Actually a garden escape – like ‘Wild
Mustard’ or ‘Wild Radish’ – a weed that has
naturalized extensively.
 A true carrot - Daucus carota;
domesticated carrots are cultivars of
Daucus carota ssp. sativus.
 Native to temperate regions of Europe,
southwest Asia
 The plant was introduced into this country
during colonial times. It probably came
across the ocean in sacks of grain, perhaps
with the Pilgrims.
 Should NOT be planted – use our natives
from the Carrot family instead.
© Project SOUND

49.  Size:
Looks rather like Leaf Celery  2-4 ft tall
 2-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial; dies
back in fall/winter
 Weak, succulent stems
 Many-branched
© 2003 Lee Dittmann  Foliage:
 Compound leaves - oddly
pinnate (simple or double) –
margins coarsely toothed
 Overall shape triangular
 Anise Swallowtail larval food
 Handle with gloves – may
cause skin allergies
 Roots: fibrous roots and slender
white rhizomes - spreads
© 2011 Zoya Akulova © Project SOUND

50. Flowers are numerous
 Blooms
 Late spring to summer: usually
May to July in Western L.A.
County
 Flowers:
 Tiny white flowers typical of the
Carrot family (Apiaceae); old-
fashioned look
 Flowers more loosely packed –
can usually see the compound
umbels easily
 Flowers attract a wide range of
nectaring insects: butterflies,
native bees, flies & others
 Seeds:
 Flat, ribbed seeds
© 2004, Ben Legler
 Use fresh seeds; multiple rinses
© Project SOUND

51. Easy to grow with  Soils:
adequate water  Texture: most
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to light/dappled
shade for good flowering
 Water:
 Winter: tolerates very moist
conditions, even shallow
standing water
 Summer: like moist soil –
Water Zones 2-3 or 3
 Fertilizer:
 Fine with light fertilizer
 Leaf mulch will add some
nutrients
 Other: organic mulch
© Project SOUND

52. Water Parsley in the Garden
 Excellent choice for large containers – can
provide the moisture it needs + contain
 Around ponds, water gardens; in pots in
shallow water
 Moist woodland habitat gardens
 Seeds/roots used as an emetic, pounded
roots used as a laxative
http://flickriver.com/photos/eastbaywilds/sets/7
2157621911287568/ © 2012 Aaron Arthur © Project SOUND
© 2004, Ben Legler

53. What pollinator flies will we attract with
Water Parsley?
 The most important fly pollinators
are Hover Flies (Syrphid flies) and
Bee Flies (Bombyliidae family)
 There are many others that visit
flowers to feed on nectar.
 The common fly pollinators have
developed yellow and black stripes
on their abdomens, though they
are not related to bees or wasps.
This is probably a defense
mechanism to deter predators;
flies pretending to be stinging
insects, though they cannot sting.
© Project SOUND

54. Family  Large family: ~ 6000 named species
Syrphidae  Often called syrphids, hover flies, flower
flies or sweat bees. Small/medium size
 Occur in wide range of habitats worldwide:
dunes, salt/freshwater marsh, all grassland
ecosystems, scrub and forest-ecosystems
 Lots of variability – example: short- and
very long-tongued species
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Syrphidae.htm
 Visit wide range of flowers and can
transport pollen long distances
 Important pollinators: regional studies in
Europe (Ssymank 2001) showed that up to
80% of the regional flora may be visited by
flower flies. Important in local habitats.
 Very convincing mimicry of bees and wasps:
black with yellow or orange; narrowSOUND
© Project
waist

55. Family  Adults feed on pollen and nectar,
larvae eat plant materials or are
Syrphidae predators on other insects, most
notably aphids (~ 40% of species
are predators).
 Female hover fly usually lays her
eggs near aphid colonies. The fly
larvae feed on insect pests, mainly
aphids, as well as scales and
caterpillars.
 Aphids cause annual damage to
crops and plants, making the hover
flies important agents in natural
biological control.
 Routinely used as a biological
control agents in many agricultural
crops like California lettuce.
© Project SOUND

56. Why do flies visit flowers?
 The most important is for food : nectar and sometimes
pollen. Pollen is rich in proteins, which is required by some
adult flies before they can reproduce.
 To lay eggs: the larvae feed on flower heads, developing
fruits/seeds or insect pests
 Because they’ve been tricked (scent/appearance that mimics
the carcasses where they normally lay their eggs)
 To keep warm: in arctic and alpine habitats, some flowers
attract flies by providing a warm shelter.
 As rendezvous sites for mating. Large numbers of flies will
congregate at a particular type of flower
the byproduct of all these behaviors can be pollination
© Project SOUND

57. Showy Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa
© 2004 George W. Hartwell
© Project SOUND

58. Showy Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa
 Western N. America from Canada to
Baja; throughout CA
 Open areas at low elevations in dry
to moist, loamy to sandy soil
 Often in areas that are seasonally
flooded or quite damp
© Project SOUND
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?583,586,599
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/floramw/species/asclspec.htm

59. Showy Milkweed: a stout perennial
 Size:
 2-5+ ft tall
 Spreading by rhizomes; often
forms a clump
 Growth form:
 Drought/winter deciduous
perennial
 Stems stout, succulent, erect or
nearly so
 Foliage:
 Leaves large 96-8 inches long),
gray-green, velvety
 Milky sap typical of Milkweeds
 Larval food, Monarch Butterflies
 Roots: stout taproot; don’t move once
© 2005, Ben Legler
established. © Project SOUND

60. Flowers are…showy!
 Blooms:
 In summer: May-Sept
 usually July-Aug in our area
 Flowers:
 Large compared to other
milkweeds ; sweet scent
 Pale pink or purple – in
dense, ball-like clusters
 Very showy in bloom – among
our prettiest perennials
 Seeds:
 Relatively large, with silky
parachute (typical of
milkweeds)
 Seed pods are 3-5" long and
are either spiny or smooth.
© Project SOUND
© 2005, Ben Legler

61.  Soils:
Plant Requirements  Texture: any, including clays
 pH: any local, including alkali
 Light:
 Full sun to light shade
 Water:
 Winter: good winter/spring
moisture; supplement if
needed
 Summer: variable once
established; probably best as
Zone 2 or 2-3 once established
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils;
light or no mulch (or inorganic)
http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=125&account=none
 Other:
Cut back to the ground in late fall  Spreads via rhizomes & seeds
(native Californians would burn) (on bare ground).
 Protect from slugs Project SOUND
© & snails

62. Showy Milkweed Shines
 In large pots, planters
 Mid- or back-bed in perennial
gardens
 Near birdbaths or water features
 Lovely massed
 Scented gardens
http://plantlust.com/plants/asclepias-speciosa/
http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html
© Project SOUND

63. Native Milkweeds make
great insect habitat
 Bees – many kinds including
bumblebees
 Lepidoptera (Moths &
Butterflies)
 Other insects:
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-
california/plants/asclepias-speciosa
 Flies
 Milkweed bugs
 Milkweed long-horned
http://www.plantsofthesouthwest.com/Showy-
beetle
 Yellow milkweed aphids
Milkweedbri-Asclepias-
speciosa/productinfo/P1180/
 Many, many more
© Project SOUND

64.  Large families - > 5,000 species
Family Bombyliidae worldwide.
- Bee Flies  Medium size – about the size of bees,
who they closely resemble
 Adults feed on nectar and pollen;
believed to be important pollinators of
many plants although few species have
been studied in detail.
 Occur on all continents except
Antarctica; common in S. CA
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Bombyliidae.htm
 See them hovering around flowers, or if
resting, usually on bare soil. They are
extremely wary and difficult to approach.
 Majority of larvae are parasites of
beetle larvae as well as the brood of
solitary burrow-nesting wasps/bees.
© Project SOUND

65. Climate change and pollinator abundance:
remember the larvae when considering flies
 When we are concerned with the abundance of flower-feeding
flies, we generally think of adults that feed at flowers.
 However, larval food supplies could be more important in
producing differences in fluctuations among species
 Different life styles, different larval habitats, and
differences in the regional distribution (broad or restricted
ranges) could also result in different patterns of population
stability.
 If larval food is a key resource for most fly species, fly
species may show significantly different patterns of
fluctuation than bees whose larvae are all dependent on pollen
for food, reinforcing the idea that different pollinator groups
may respond differently to environmental change.
© Project SOUND

66. Climate change and pollinator abundance:
timing is (almost) everything
 Ecologists are concerned that climate change may decouple the
synchrony of inter-dependent organisms. For the majority of flies,
we do not have even baseline phenology information.
 There is evidence of parallel pollinator and insect-pollinated plant
decline for flower flies and bees in UK and NL (Biesmeijer et al.
2006). The factors threatening the species are mostly unknown.
 What consequences can we expect from the loss of pollinators? To
what extent can any one pollinator be replaced by another? The
answers to these questions are unknown and urgently need
investigation.
 There is an urgent need for networking among researchers, and for
more fundamental and applied research toward improving our
knowledge of pollination services. This knowledge is crucial for
agriculture and wildland preservation efforts.
© Project SOUND

67. Last month we introduced the topic of
genetically modified plants
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all
-about-gm-foods
The majority of commercially released transgenic plants are currently
limited to plants that have introduced resistance to insect pests and
herbicides.
© Project SOUND

68. Potential Risks/Controversies: Human
Health Effects
 Introducing allergens and toxins into food
 Transfer of antibiotic resistance marker genes;
cause the development of diseases which are
immune to antibiotics
 Unknown effects of a new – and biologically basic –
technology; not much is known about their long-
term effects on human beings

69. Potential Risks: Environmental Effects
 Unintended phytotoxicity: plants less resistant to
other pathogens/environmental challenges
 Adversely changing the nutrient content of a crop;
consequences for herbivores
 Antibiotic resistance is spread: to other (wild)
plants, animals, microorganisms
 Emergence of "super" weeds: herbicide/pest
resistant; high yield
 Development of (or, more rapid development of)
insecticide resistance in pests

70. Potential Risks: may worsen current
environmental challenges
 Unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-
pollination
 Unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil
microbes; butterflies); toxicity
 Loss of floral and faunal biodiversity: farmers plant
only the GM plants; beneficial insects killed
 Effects of global climate changes – changed
geographic distribution of pests; ?? Impact of
transgenic plants; pollinator diversity, etc.

71. How does Mother Nature play it safe with
regards to pollination?
 Most insect pollinated flowers receive visits
from several different types of insects:
bees, flies, beetles, bugs, etc.
 In a study of 2200 CA plant species:
 71% of the out-crossing species were visited
by two potential pollinators
By hedging her odds
 49% were visited by three or more potential
pollinators
 Redundancy in pollination systems is
probably the rule, rather than the
exception.
 We can’t afford to loose our redundancy!
© Project SOUND

72.  Second-largest family - > 10,000
Family species worldwide.
Tachinidae  Adult tachinid flies known for their
bristly facies and sometimes abdomens
– though some only sparsely so.
 Parasitoid habit - almost all are
endoparasites of other insects;
commonly the larvae of the
Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
and the adult/larval forms of beetles.
 Other tachinids attack true bugs of
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/index.htm#Brachycera
the Hemiptera (Heteroptera), larvae
of Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, ants,
sawflies), and adults of Orthoptera
(grasshoppers, katydids, crickets).
 Some might have use in pest control
© Project SOUND

73. * Henderson’s Angelica – Angelica hendersonii
© 2009, G. D. Carr
© Project SOUND

74. * Henderson’s Angelica – Angelica hendersonii
 Coastal areas from WA state to
Santa Barbara Co
 Coastal bluffs and dunes, < 500 ft
elevation
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,337,343
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences © Project SOUND

75. Henderson’s Angelica: stout perennial
 Size:
 2-4 ft tall
 2-4 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Fall/winter deciduous
herbaceous perennial
 Stout, succulent stems
 Mounded form with basal
leaves
 Foliage:
 Large, compound leaves
 Hairy beneath
 Wear gloves when handling –
may cause allergies
© 2009, G. D. Carr  Roots: sturdy taproot – very
aromatic © Project SOUND

76. CA native Angelicas
 All have similar appearance:
succulent, large
 All grow in slightly more moist
climates than ours – mostly N. CA
 Vary in the amount of leaf hairs –
Angelica lucida Hendersonii is ‘velvety’ on underside
Angelica hendersonii Angelica tomentosa
© Project SOUND

77. Flowers: loved by insects
 Blooms: in spring – usually
May-June in our area
 Flowers:
 Very showy compound
umbels
 Lots of cream-pink flowers
– thousands per umbel in
best circumstances
 Looks like a garden plant
 Seeds:
 Dry, flat winged seeds
typical of Carrot family
© 2010 Margo Bors
© 2010 Robert Steers © Project SOUND

78. Angelicas do well in  Soils:
gardens  Texture: most, including heavy
clays
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to light shade; part-
shade in very hot inland gardens
 Water:
 Winter/spring: needs good soil
moisture to grow
 Summer: best with near-regular
water – every other week –
Water Zone 2-3
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: organic mulch OK; leaf mulch
best
© 2010 Margo Bors
© Project SOUND

79. Angelicas in gardens
 In edible/medicinal garden
 For immediate coastal areas
 In the perennial bed – with
Goldenrods - give it room
 In a habitat garden
 In watered rock gardens – N. Coastal
© 2008 Neal Kramer
© Project SOUND
© 2010 Zoya Akulova

80. Many practical uses of Angelicas
 Edible:
 Young stems eaten raw (before it
leafs out) or cooked as is root –
celery-like taste
 Root, leafstalks and stems are often
candied
 Medicinal: produces several
antibacterial compounds
 Tea from leaves
 General tonic – don’t take too often
 For sore throats
 Tea or dry powdered roots
 For sore throat
 On skin infections & for athlete’s foot
 As insect repellant
© 2009, G. D. Carr
Also used as a ceremonial plant © Project SOUND

81. Family Asilidae -  > 7,000 species world- wide; nearly 1,000
in North America.
Robber Flies
 Among the largest of the predatory
flies; they can not only look like bumble
bees, they can sound like them too!
 Stout, spiny legs, bristles on the face
(mystax), and 3 simple eyes (ocelli) in a
characteristic depression between their
two large compound eyes. The mystax
helps protect the head/face in
struggles with prey.
 The short, strong proboscis is used to
stab and inject victims with saliva
containing neurotoxic and proteolytic
enzymes which paralyze/digest the prey;
the fly then sucks the liquefied meal
much like we vacuum up an ice cream
You’ll often see them perched, soda through a straw.
waiting for prey © Project SOUND

82. Fly Kachina (Hopi)  The Fly or Sohonasomtaka Kachina
can be a Chief, Guard, or Hunter
depending on the ceremony. He may
also appear as a warrior who
punishes the clowns when they get
out of hand during the ceremonies.
Insects and animals offer advice
and teach life to the Hopi people. As
a guard he would protect and keep
ceremonies from outsider intrusions
 The Robber Fly Kachina, Kuwaan
Kokopelli, is named after a
humpbacked fly that is always
mating. Like Kokopell' Mana, this
kachina represents fertility.
http://www.silvertribe.com/Hopi-Kwaan-
Kokopelli-Kachina-doll-artist-Neil-David-Sr.-
KS1094
© Project SOUND

83. Natural groundcovers are so much more complex than suburban lawns
© Project SOUND

84. Purple Sanicle – Sanicula bipinnatifida
© 2006 Matt Below
© Project SOUND

85. Purple Sanicle – Sanicula bipinnatifida
 Coastal foothills and slopes
from British Columbia to Baja
 Locally: San Gabriel foothills;
Puente-Chino Hills
 Found in a wide range of plant
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,519,523
communities: valley grassland,
chaparral, yellow pine forest,
below 4500'
 Usually grows in grassy areas
on sunny slopes
© Project SOUND
© 2011 Ryan Batten

86. Purple Sanicle is a low-grower
 Size:
 foliage < 1 ft tall; flowering
stalks slightly taller
 1-2 ft wide (at most)
 Growth form:
 drought deciduous herbaceous
perennial
© 2001 Gary A. Monroe © 2011 Thomas Reyes
 Flat leaves from a central
taproot
 Foliage:
 Compound leaves with long
petiole
 Medium green; somewhat like
celery leaves
 Roots: taproot
© Project SOUND
© 2012 Gary McDonald

87. Carrots: in wild vs garden
 A little extra water make a huge
difference
 Garden soils also tend to be a
little richer
 Plants in Carrot family tend to look
more lush in gardens than they do
in the wild (except in places like
WA and British Columbia)
© 2004, Ben Legler
© Project SOUND

88. Flowers are usually
burgundy
 Blooms: in spring – usually Mar-
Apr in our area
 Flowers:
 Usually a very attractive
burgundy or dark purple;
occasionally yellow
 Many tiny flowers in
compound umbels typical of
Carrot family
 Look like fuzzy ball of
© 2004 Laura Ann Eliassen flowers – attract many types
of insects
 Seeds: dry, prickly fruits –
spines curved
© Project SOUND
© 2004 Carol W. Witham

89. Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: most; sandy to clay
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun near coast
 Part-shade/dappled sun
inland
 Water:
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College  Winter: adequate
 Summer: let plants dry out
with grasses after seed set.
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: best not to move after
established; may even want to
start from seed in place.
© Project SOUND

90. Garden uses for
 Best used as it is in nature – as
a mixed groundcover with
grasses, annual wildflowers and
perennials like Goldenrods,
Yarrow
© 2004 Carol W. Witham  Excellent habitat plants
© Project SOUND

91. © 2007, Rod Gilbert
© 2004, Ben Legler
http://www.goert.ca/news/2010/05/spring-field-trips/
Fern-leaved desert-parsley growing with camas
and western buttercup © Project SOUND

92. ‘Life-friendly’ groundcovers & lawn
substitutes: the
importance of home
gardens
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/purplesanicle.html © Project SOUND

93. Pollinator flies in urban environments:
little know but suggestive results
 In an extensive 5-yr survey of syrphid flies in Poland
 Found lower species diversity in urban and agricultural areas.
 In comparison, natural habitats were species-rich and
characterized by shifting proportions of species, as one moved
from one habitat toward another. Syrphid fly species composition
closely followed patterns of food supply and habitat condition.
 The proportion of phytophagous and terrestrial saprophagous
species dropped significantly, with only four species of
phytophages present near the housing estates. These four were
pests that eat ornamental plants, or weed-eating species. Urban
areas were dominated by four syrphid species with broad
geographic ranges
 Loss of habitat plants = loss of beneficial flies
© Project SOUND

94. Pollinator flies in urban environments
 In Japan, a broad-scale, four-year survey
compared all insect visitors to roughly 100
plant species in each of three different
habitats:
 a university campus - mostly exotic vegetation,
 an undisturbed oak forest, and
Bottom line: what you
 a botanically rich mosaic containing both
plant in your garden does
make a difference native deciduous and planted coniferous
forest.
 The site of greatest human disturbance was
poorest in species numbers .
 The total number of arthropod species on the
plants of the university campus was 37% of
the total of the oak forest and 23% of the
total mosaic of natural and planted forest.
© Project SOUND

95. Common Lomatium – Lomatium utriculatum
© 2004 Robert E. Preston, Ph.D.
© Project SOUND

96. Common Lomatium – Lomatium utriculatum
 AKA: Bladder Parsnip; Hog Fennel
 Baja to British Columbia – also very locally
 The genus Lomatium: composed of about 80
species restricted to w. North America.
 The genus name, from the Greek loma (a
border), refers to the wings on the fruit.
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,426,476
© 2009, Maria Yousoufian © Project SOUND

97. Two native California Lomatiums
* California Lomatium –
Lomatium californicum
2-5 ft tall; 4-5 ft wide Common Lomatium – Lomatium utriculatum
© Project SOUND

98. Common Lomatium: another small one
 Size:
 Foliage usually 1 ft tall; flower
stalks to 18”
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial
 Drought-deciduous; literally
disappears in dry summer
 Foliage:
 Bright green; mostly in basal
rosette
 Leaves very finely dissected – like
carrot; lacy and delicate-looking
 Larval food: Anise Swallowtail
 Roots: a taproot
© Project SOUND

99. Plant is sometimes
called ‘Spring Gold’
 Blooms: in spring (Feb-May); usually
Mar-Apr our area.
 Flowers:
 Bright, golden yellow – hence the
common name
 Pretty, delicate compound umbels
– very attractive in a woodsy way
 Attract many spring-flying
insects - bees, flies, wasps,
beetles and more
 Seeds:
 fruits flattened and ribbed –
typical of family
 Will reseed on bare ground/
inorganic mulch
© Project SOUND

100. Growing the wild carrots
 Use fresh seed – the best
predictor of success
 Soak fruit/seed in several
changes of water to remove
germination inhibitors – or plant
out in fall
http://www.hazmac.biz/061
023/061023LomatiumUtricu
latum.html
 If seed from a colder climate –
or seeds are older – give 1 month
cold-moist treatment
 Plant in deep enough pots or
directly in ground
 Don’t leave in pots too long -
taproots
http://wikis.evergreen.edu/pugetprairieplants/index.php/Lomatium_utriculatum © Project SOUND

101.  Soils:
Spring Gold for clay soils  Texture: best in clay soils
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Part-shade (afternoon shade)
or dappled sun in most
gardens
 Water:
 Winter/spring: adequate
until flowering ceases
 Summer: taper off to dry –
Water Zone 1 to 2
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils.
Would do well with leaf mulch
 Other: keep weeded around
plants
© Project SOUND
https://sbwildflowers.wordpress.com/wildflowers/apiaceae/lomatium/lomatium-utriculatum/

102. Add a little Spring
gold to your garden
 As an attractive pot plant
with native bulbs
 In a rock garden or around
the vegetable garden
 As part of a prairie,
© 2009 Barry Rice
meadow or other mixed
natural planting
© 2007, Rod Gilbert
http://seedsofsuccess.smugmug.com/Bureau-of-Land-Management/BLM- © Project SOUND
OR930/4721037_pt67MZ#!i=279488941&k=2Ceng

103. Practical uses of Spring Gold
 Edible uses
 Young, crisp leaves eaten raw.
 Leaves, sometimes with flowers, cooked,
fried in oil and salt and eaten. Or may be
boiled, roasted or steamed as a pot herb
or in stews/soups.
 Roots: raw or cooked – or dried – harvest
just after flowering; good addition to
soups/stews
 Medicinal uses
 Roots (fresh or dried) for headaches
© Project SOUND
http://www.researchlearningcenter.org/bloom/mobile/species/Lomatium_utriculatum.htm

104. Pollinator decline and research needs
 Our understanding of pollination services is considerably
hampered by a lack of some very basic knowledge.
 Pollination services of flies are underestimated and functional
relations poorly understood.
 In the past, much pollination research has focused on bees,
leaving a wide opportunity open for the study of other
pollinator assemblages.
 Although some types of fly pollinators have been well studied,
as a group, fly pollination deserves far more research.
 It is striking how large the gaps in species knowledge are:
probably less than 10% of all Diptera species are named
worldwide; considerable gaps exist even in Europe, where the
fauna is generally well documented.
© Project SOUND

105. Flies: Important in SW Native American lore
 Big Fly, do'tsoh, is very important to the
Navajo Indians in Northern Arizona and New
Mexico. He is an intercessor, mentor and
advise giver. He appears to have much of the
capacities of the Spider Woman figure in the
Navajo except to men, especially Holy Man.
He is the daytime messenger to the Sun
 In the Piman speakers of Southern Arizona
and Northwestern Mexico, Blue-Green Fly
teaches the Seris of the Sonoran coast and
the Pima of AZ how to make fire.
 Robber Fly is a hunter in Chiricahua Apache
lore who carries his meat in a bag on his
shoulder. Flies once were humans – they
brought fire to all people
© Project SOUND

106. http://www.swanlake.bc.ca/native-plant-gallery.php © Project SOUND