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Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

© Project SOUND

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Project SOUND – 2012 (our 8th year)

© Project SOUND

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

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

Colony Collapse Disorder – our wake-up call

© Project SOUND

http://bee-rapture.blogspot.com/2009/04/found-cause-of-colony-

collapse-disorder.html

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Can we still find answers in the wild?

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

Class Insecta – the insects

© Project SOUND

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/entomology/intro.html

Dipterans are numerous

Flies actually represent a large part of metazoan diversity. There are about 1 million named insect species.

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://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/2008/12/5/the-species-scape.html

http://insects.tamu.edu/students/undergrad/ento402/Arthropoda_files/Arthropoda_number_organisms.html

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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

© Project SOUND

http://insects.tamu.edu/students/undergrad/ento402/Arthropoda_files/Arthropoda_number_organ

isms.html

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

How old are the

Dipterans?

© Project SOUND

http://destinationofmarvel.blogspot.com/2010/10/geological-timeline.html

http://www.internal.schools.net.au/edu/lesson_ideas/dinosaurs/dino_wksht3.html

3,125 species are known only from fossils

The oldest, a limoniid crane fly, is some 225 MILLION years old (Upper Triassic (Carnian).

Some ancient Dipterans

look very similar to

today’s species

© Project SOUND

50 million year old Crane Fly

http://www.fossilmall.com/EDCOPE_Enterprises/Insects/I2/I2.htm

http://www.amberabg.com/a_for_sale/inclusions_zd22.html

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)

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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

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. (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.

© Project SOUND

http://biokeys.berkeley.edu/inverts/diptera.html

Typical Fly

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-identify-the-basic-body-parts-of-honey-bees.html

Bee mimics are common

among Dipterans

Some flies, such as syrphids, masquerade as bees and wasps. However, the pollinating flies can be distinguished with a sharp eye – 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!

© Project SOUND

The syrphid fly is a bee mimic. Photo by Beatriz Moisset 2002-2004.

The tachnid fly is similar in general

appearance to bees or wasps.

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

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Flies have been disliked in many cultures

© Project SOUND

http://avaxhome.ws/video/fly_tales.html

http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2011/08/unseen-fly-justice-of-chen-fang.html

But their attributes have been

elevated to hero status in

others

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 “

Blow-flies flies

© Project SOUND Horse-fly: family Tabanidae

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-fly

Housefly: Musca domestica

Blue-bottle Fly: a common Blow-fly

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

© Project SOUND

http://www.zazzle.com/house_fly_t_shirt-235110274153973276

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)

© Project SOUND http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0341816203001280

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© Project SOUND

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.

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 of the day, the flowering phenology and weather conditions, flies may be the main or exclusive pollinators, or share pollination services with bees and other pollinator groups.

© Project SOUND

It turns out the pollination is

a lot more complex than

early agricultural studies

lead us to believe

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

© Project SOUND

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

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

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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-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://www.geraniumsonline.com/pollination.htm

http://scienceblogs.com/myrmecos/2008/12/31/slurp/

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

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

49% were visited by three or more potential pollinators

Redundancy in pollination systems is probably the rule, rather than the exception.

© Project SOUND

By hedging her odds

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

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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

Oregon study: Mountain Meadows -

Presence of host plant pollen Bumble bee Syrphid flies

Present Absent

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 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

Drone fly pollinating aster

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

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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

Why are these plants ‘insect magnets’?

© Project SOUND

Western Yarrow – Achilla millefolia 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

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Western Yarrow – Achilla millefolia

Found in most of CA

60-100 species of Achillia worldwide – northern hemisphere

In CA, found in seasonally wet places:

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://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,615,616

http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/astera/achil/achimilv.jpg

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

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

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

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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

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 or orange in color.

The plant may have traps to slow them down and become inadvertent pollinators

© Project SOUND

Skunk cabbage's strong smell

and dark color attract carrion

flies that lay their eggs thinking

that it is rotting flesh.

Myophily fly flowers Pale color (whites, pinks,

purples 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 scented, but for the most part, the scent is imperceptible.

© Project SOUND

Buckwheats (Eriogonum) are good

candidates as fly flowers

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

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© Project SOUND

Water Parsley – Oenanthe sarmentosa

© 2002 Brad Kelley

Coastal California to British Columbia Canada; also western Sierra foothills

Local historically: Ballona, West LA, San Pedro, Long Beach (Bixby Ranch)

Grows in marshes, ditches, pond edges, slow-moving streams, seasonally wet places, from near coastline up to ~ 5000 ft.

© Project SOUND

Water Parsley – Oenanthe sarmentosa

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,478,480

© 2006, G. D. Carr

Large plants in the Carrot Family

© Project SOUND

Common Cowparsnip – Heracleum maximum

4-8 ft. tall; very large coarse leaves

Water Parsley –

Oenanthe

sarmentosa

* Henderson’s Angelica – Angelica hendersonii

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

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© Project SOUND

Looks rather like Leaf Celery Size: 2-4 ft tall

2-3 ft wide

Growth form: Herbaceous perennial; dies

back in fall/winter

Weak, succulent stems

Many-branched

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

© 2003 Lee Dittmann

© 2011 Zoya Akulova © Project SOUND

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

Use fresh seeds; multiple rinses

© 2004, Ben Legler

© Project SOUND

Easy to grow with

adequate water Soils:

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

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

© 2012 Aaron Arthur © 2004, Ben Legler

http://flickriver.com/photos/eastbaywilds/sets/7

2157621911287568/

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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

Family

Syrphidae

Large family: ~ 6000 named species

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

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; narrow waist

© Project SOUND

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Syrphidae.htm

Family

Syrphidae Adults feed on pollen and nectar,

larvae eat plant materials or are 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

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

© Project SOUND

the byproduct of all these behaviors can be pollination

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© Project SOUND

Showy Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa

© 2004 George W. Hartwell

© Project SOUND

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

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?583,586,599

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/floramw/species/asclspec.htm

© Project SOUND

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 established.

© 2005, Ben Legler

© Project SOUND

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.

© 2005, Ben Legler

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© Project SOUND

Plant Requirements Soils:

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)

Other: Spreads via rhizomes & seeds

(on bare ground).

Protect from slugs & snails

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=125&account=none

Cut back to the ground in late fall

(native Californians would burn)

© Project SOUND

Showy Milkweed Shines

In large pots, planters

Mid- or back-bed in perennial gardens

Near birdbaths or water features

Lovely massed

Scented gardens

http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html

http://plantlust.com/plants/asclepias-speciosa/

Native Milkweeds make

great insect habitat

Bees – many kinds including bumblebees

Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies)

Other insects:

Flies

Milkweed bugs

Milkweed long-horned beetle

Yellow milkweed aphids

Many, many more

© Project SOUND

http://www.plantsofthesouthwest.com/Showy-

Milkweedbri-Asclepias-

speciosa/productinfo/P1180/

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-

california/plants/asclepias-speciosa

Family Bombyliidae

- Bee Flies

Large families - > 5,000 species worldwide.

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

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

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Bombyliidae.htm

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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

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

Last month we introduced the topic of

genetically modified plants

© Project SOUND

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.

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

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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

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.

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

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

By hedging her odds

Family

Tachinidae

Second-largest family - > 10,000 species worldwide.

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 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

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/index.htm#Brachycera

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© Project SOUND

* Henderson’s Angelica – Angelica hendersonii

© 2009, G. D. Carr

Coastal areas from WA state to Santa Barbara Co

Coastal bluffs and dunes, < 500 ft elevation

© Project SOUND

* Henderson’s Angelica – Angelica hendersonii

Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,337,343

© Project SOUND

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

Roots: sturdy taproot – very aromatic

© 2009, G. D. Carr

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 – Hendersonii is ‘velvety’ on underside

© Project SOUND

Angelica lucida

Angelica hendersonii Angelica tomentosa

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© Project SOUND

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

Angelicas do well in

gardens Soils:

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

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

© 2010 Zoya Akulova

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

© Project SOUND

© 2009, G. D. Carr

Also used as a ceremonial plant

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Family Asilidae -

Robber Flies

> 7,000 species world- wide; nearly 1,000 in North America.

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 soda through a straw.

© Project SOUND

You’ll often see them perched,

waiting for prey

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.

© Project SOUND

http://www.silvertribe.com/Hopi-Kwaan-

Kokopelli-Kachina-doll-artist-Neil-David-Sr.-

KS1094

© Project SOUND

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

Purple Sanicle – Sanicula bipinnatifida

© 2006 Matt Below

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Coastal foothills and slopes from British Columbia to Baja

Locally: San Gabriel foothills; Puente-Chino Hills

Found in a wide range of plant communities: valley grassland, chaparral, yellow pine forest, below 4500'

Usually grows in grassy areas on sunny slopes

© Project SOUND

Purple Sanicle – Sanicula bipinnatifida

© 2011 Ryan Batten

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,519,523

© Project SOUND

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

Flat leaves from a central taproot

Foliage: Compound leaves with long

petiole

Medium green; somewhat like celery leaves

Roots: taproot

© 2001 Gary A. Monroe

© 2012 Gary McDonald

© 2011 Thomas Reyes

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)

© Project SOUND

© 2004, Ben Legler

© Project SOUND

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 flowers – attract many types of insects

Seeds: dry, prickly fruits – spines curved

© 2004 Laura Ann Eliassen

© 2004 Carol W. Witham

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© Project SOUND

Plant Requirements Soils: Texture: most; sandy to clay

pH: any local

Light: Full sun near coast

Part-shade/dappled sun inland

Water: 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.

© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

© Project SOUND

Garden uses for

Best used as it is in nature – as a mixed groundcover with grasses, annual wildflowers and perennials like Goldenrods, Yarrow

Excellent habitat plants © 2004 Carol W. Witham

© Project SOUND

© 2004, Ben Legler

© 2007, Rod Gilbert

http://www.goert.ca/news/2010/05/spring-field-trips/

Fern-leaved desert-parsley growing with camas

and western buttercup

‘Life-friendly’ groundcovers & lawn

substitutes: the

importance of home

gardens

© Project SOUND http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/purplesanicle.html

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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

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

a botanically rich mosaic containing both 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

Bottom line: what you

plant in your garden does

make a difference

© Project SOUND

Common Lomatium – Lomatium utriculatum

© 2004 Robert E. Preston, Ph.D.

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.

© Project SOUND

Common Lomatium – Lomatium utriculatum

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,426,476

© 2009, Maria Yousoufian

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Two native California Lomatiums

© Project SOUND

* California Lomatium –

Lomatium californicum

2-5 ft tall; 4-5 ft wide

Common Lomatium – Lomatium utriculatum

© Project SOUND

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

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

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

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

© Project SOUND http://wikis.evergreen.edu/pugetprairieplants/index.php/Lomatium_utriculatum

http://www.hazmac.biz/061

023/061023LomatiumUtricu

latum.html

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26

© Project SOUND

Spring Gold for clay soils 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

https://sbwildflowers.wordpress.com/wildflowers/apiaceae/lomatium/lomatium-utriculatum/

© Project SOUND

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, meadow or other mixed natural planting

© 2009 Barry Rice

© 2007, Rod Gilbert

http://seedsofsuccess.smugmug.com/Bureau-of-Land-Management/BLM-

OR930/4721037_pt67MZ#!i=279488941&k=2Ceng

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

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

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