Caterpillars on the grass

Though the caterpillars feasting on bluebonnet seeds thrived, a prior cohort of caterpillars had not fared so well.  Initially, these earlier caterpillars must have been successful, since the ones that I found were quite large.  However, they were also quite dead.

A dessicated caterpillar stuck to a stem of grass.

I had been viewing the newly blooming bluebonnets when I noticed the first dead caterpillar on a nearby stem of grass.  Curious about whether it was an isolated case, I began searching the surrounding grasses.

Another dead caterpillar stuck to grass.

I soon found five more dead caterpillars.  They were all stuck to the tops of grass stems, just as the first one had been.  Meanwhile, there was no sign of any living caterpillars, either on the grasses themselves or on the neighboring plants.

Yet another dead caterpillar.

What was killing off all the caterpillars?  To be continued...