In Texas, I'm pretty sure the predators are picking off eggs and cats at a faster rate this year...also the butterflies themselves also. During Severe to Exceptional drought, "prey" becomes scarce and hard to find. I've seen the wasps doing their searches of plant foliage more than usual. Wasp populations have dwindled. I've found quite a few paper wasps drowned in water container and normally that doesn't happen with that kind of wasp. I figure they get so weak from lack of food, they just can't fly off after lighting on the water like they usually do, so they drown! During the summer of 2009, all the insects and lizards vanished for a while.I would walk around and see nothing alive...except the birds I was providing for and my cats. Oh, I think I see a little rain going on outside...I remember we used to get that stuff before.
