The foliage of Passion
vines is repeatedly decimated by the caterpillars of the Gulf Fritillary
Butterfly in our garden. This can happen several times a year as new generations
of caterpillars hatch and eat their way to maturity. In response the
Passion Vines have, somewhere in their evolutionary history found
advantage in growing glands that resemble Butterfly eggs. It is a
certainty that this does not completely dissuade the butterfly from laying
her eggs on the Passion Vine. She usually does this on the underside
of the leaves. But it must help. Thankfully the Passion Vine
is very resilient and can recover even when it has been fully denuded by
the caterpillars.
This
Passion Vine Egg Mimic image is available in high resolution and is part of our stock photo
collection.
