Insect Drama

 What was originally my favorite milkweed patch a few years ago only has a dozen or so milkweeds remaining - for various reasons I won't go into here. I've stopped there a dozen times over the past couple of weeks and have seen no insects other than honey bees. But today, I spotted the above scene that puzzled me.  On top is the Small Milkweed Bug, Lygaeus kalmii. I couldn't tell what was underneath.  Was it eating another bug, or being eaten?  So, I poked it and got the next two photos.

 It appeared to be the shed exoskeleton of another insect, but still not sire what took place here.

Click on any of these photos for a closer look and send me your hypothesis in the comments section. In any case, it made my visit to the milkweeds more interesting.