Last year’s spring season was quite dry, and this spring has been, too, but we have just recently had a couple of rainy days and we’ve been getting a bit some evenings, too. Now that things aren’t so dry, the passion fruit vines (Passiflora edulis) are growing quickly, and when the vines grow, so do the gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) caterpillars. Passion fruit flowers are a favorite of the butterflies, and the vines are a primary host for the caterpillars. Since the rain, the vines are teeming with the little, spiked orange caterpillars. They feed on the leaves and use them for shelter from the weather and from predators. Later, the gulf fritillary butterflies pollinate the flowers, so it’s a win-win relationship for both species. Passion fruit vines like to send out little curly shoots that wrap around things, allowing the vine to climb. When I saw this little caterpillar twisting itself around the vine, with those twisty curls in the foreground and background, I knew I had to get a photo!