Question
i have a mexican jumping bean and wouldnt want it to die as a result of not having a sebastiana pavoniana to feed on.so,i am asking you as an expert for advise and maybe even instructions on how i can plant a sebastiana pavoniana.please reply soon!!!
             thank you

Answer
Hi Priscilla,
Thanx for your question.  Sebastiana pavoniana is native to the desert Southwest of the U.S. and Northern Mexico.  The bean has a caterpillar (actually the pupa which will become a caterpillar)in it that is undergoing metamorphosis to become a rather ugly moth.  The shrub is not well-known in the U.S. and I have had extensive problems finding a source for it.  If you live in the Southwestern U.S., your Mexican jumping bean will cease to exist and a moth will come forth and be just another bug in the hot, dry air (I used to live in Phoenix) and find a mate, mate quickly, cause some eggs to be laid on some other Sebastiana pavoniana and then die. The Mexican jumping bean isn't alive.  The pupa(caterpillar) within it is. They're actually symbiotic parasites and trust me if yours doesn't make it back into the foodchain, it won't cause the demise of either Sebastiana pavoniana or the moth that is the final result of the Mexican jumping bean.  

I hope this eases your concerns.
Tom