Nearby there is a rocky area of small bushes, grasses and cacti. Attention to the small things sometimes produces good results. Snails climb up grass stems to maybe escape the heat of the earth and possibly extract moisture from the air. They have their own ecosystem and when I noticed small ‘shells’, I then saw an attached Provence Burnet Moth - only later identified. . It seems that in emerging from their case they can remain attached. I have found two fatalities and so they never flew to repeat the cycle of life.
These lines are re-produced from an on-line site.
The adults feed on the nectar of knapweed, thistles and other grassland flowers, and females lay their eggs on the caterpillars' foodplants. The caterpillars hatch and feed, hibernating over at least one winter. They emerge the following spring and pupate in a papery cocoon attached to grass stems.
I will be paying more attention to the small stuff!
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