Natural Friends and Foes of the Avery Peak Twinpod

Last year, I wrote a blog about my plan for field research on the Avery Peak Twinpod. I was investigating what affects the reproduction within and between the populations of this rare, alpine species. Long story short, my field research during 2024 at three populations of this species did not find large differences in these populations’ reproduction, which was different than what we observed during 2023! But I wanted to highlight another aspect of the data we collected at six populations with the help of several volunteers: the animals that interacted with the Avery Peak Twinpod.

The Avery Peak Twinpod was very popular with flower visitors – a term used for potential pollinators, since we don’t know whether these animals are effectively pollinating the plants. There were several kinds of flies and bees detected sitting on the plants’ reproductive organs appearing to gather either pollen or nectar, an activity that often facilitates pollination. We also noted ants, beetles, moths and even one mite, among others.  

In contrast to the diversity of potential pollinators, it appeared that there was one specific kind of beetle larvae that preferred eating the Avery Peak Twinpod’s flowers, and very occasionally their leaves. I posted photos of these larvae on iNaturalist, and reached out to several entomologists to try to find out what the larvae could be. The entomologists guessed that the larvae were some kind of leaf beetle (family: Chrysomelidae). They discussed potential identifications and referred me to other scientists that could weigh in. With the help of Rob Westerduijn and Dr. Chris Reid, we concluded that the larvae are likely red turnip beetles (Entomoscelis americana). Red turnip beetles are native to North America, are known to eat mustard species, and their larvae can eat farmed crops like kale and other cruciferous vegetables. Adult beetles mostly eat pollen and aren’t as voracious. This identification was further supported by the fact that red turnip beetles are the most commonly observed leaf beetle species in alpine areas on iNaturalist.  

We also observed some tiny parasitic larvae that caused the leaves of the Avery Peak Twinpod to swell up while they matured. Dr. Matt Bertone believes they are gall midges, a kind of parasitic fly (family: Cecidomyiidae). With the joint effort of several scientists, these observations reveal more about the role the Avery Peak Twinpod plays in its ecosystem. 

This article was contributed by graduate student My-Lan Le.