An immense and towering thunderhead was gliding to the east,
forming a stark backdrop for Crane Lake in the Crescent Lake
National Wildlife Refuge in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. I walked
up a hill, weaving between the yuccas, looking for the perfect
vantage for a photograph of the lake, when something caught my
eye. The yucca flowering stalks were up and the lower flowers
had opened. Each flower was green outside and inside, with six
thick, greenish white stamens tipped with yellow anthers (male)
surrounding the central pistil (female). The ovary, or lower
portion of the pistil, was light green, while the stigma, or
upper portion of the pistil, was dark green. Virtually every
open flower had small white moths in it. Each moth was
predominantly white, but the legs, eyes and ends of the antennae
were black. They had longer, white hairs on the head and
outermost edges of the wings. Some had small black dots, usually
two, on the wings. They seemed oblivious to my approach and
scrutiny. I had stumbled upon a class