Date: 10/10/2019

Number: 15

While watering one sunny and warm afternoon in my back yard, I noticed monarch caterpillars were suddenly appearing in the mulch around one particular tropical milkweed plant. The first caterpillar I noticed, a large fellow, seemed to be writhing in pain. Then one caterpillar after another appeared in the mulch as if falling from the sky, about 4 in all. The first caterpillar made it back to the plant but appeared physically uncomfortable. Another I placed back by hand, and the other 2 disappeared. Then I noticed a fat lizard hiding in the mulch in the shade of a potted plant. It appeared he had been jumping up to knock the caterpillars out of the plant and was eating them. I took his picture next to the uncomfortable caterpillar, then sprayed the reptile with water and he returned to his home in my large rock garden. The lizards appear to have no problem digesting either the monarch caterpillars or the adult butterflies. I decided to take the rest of the caterpillars in to rear, about 11 in all.

Tucson, AZ

Latitude: 32.2 Longitude: -110.8

Observed by: Diana
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