I came across this odd arrangement of wildlife during a walk through the woods. I found this Monarch Caterpillar crawling across the face of a flat stone. There was a leaf nearby with a number of insect eggs attached to it. These may be Monarch Butterfly eggs, but I am not certain.
I took a few pictures and then continued on my way. My return trip took me by this point again, and I stopped for another look. To my surprise the Monarch Caterpillar was no longer on the stone. In its place was a Western Ribbon Snake. It seems likely that the snake managed to make a quick snack of the caterpillar after I passed by the first time. I was able to get one photograph of the snake just before it slithered out of view.
Observation Details
County | – | Denton |
|
City | – | The Colony | |
Date | – | May 8, 2011 | |
Time of Day | – | Morning | |
Temperature | – | Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C) | |
Weather | – | Clear | |
Habitat | – | Agricultural-Pasture | |
Type of Behavior | – | Other | |
Gender | – | Uncertain | |
Maturity | – | Larva | |
Observer | – | Chris Jackson |
I don’t know if you got an answer to your question, but those are not monarch butterfly eggs. Monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed and usually only one per leaf.
Thank you for the tip, Melanie!