Desert Chicory & Friend

With a spindly stem
growing up inside other
plants, serving as lunch

~ carliewired

The desert chicory, resplendent in white, showed up this year. It does best in a year with abundant rain, like this year. In very dry years, it may not appear at all. The 'friend' shown here is the red-eared blister beetle.

Truly, it is no friend to the desert chicory. Here it is shown devouring the petals. It feeds on flowers and pollen. Humans need to be wary of this beetle as it secrets a toxin when disturbed that causes skin rashes that are painful and itchy.