Reach for the sky, Pilgrim!

During the day, the nectar-filled Palmer's Agave flowers are visited by bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, orioles, and even a few normally nocturnal moths like the White-lined Sphinx. Many daytime visitors to these flowers, especially the smaller ones like nonnative honeybees that can slip into the flowers without touching the anthers or pistils, are relatively poor pollinators of Palmer's Agave flowers. Palmer's Agaves are chiropterophilous, meaning they are pollinated by bats. Lesser Long-nosed Bats are more numerous here, which probably makes them the most important pollinator species for Arizona's Palmer's Agaves. July 13, 2008