Later we found out the truth – and it shook us. They turned out to be snake eggs. As it turned out, they had literally fallen out of the female during an attack by a bird of prey.

Most likely, a hawk or a buzzard had grabbed the snake in its claws and carried it off, while some of the eggs dropped mid-air. They got caught on a branch and hung there, forming that strange “garland” that had frightened us so much.

We stood in silence, looking at each other. To imagine that such a wild scene of nature had played out right above our yard was both terrifying and fascinating.

The snake became the victim of the hunt, but its offspring remained hanging there – like a grim reminder of the fragility of life.

Now, every time we pass that tree, we remember this discovery and how strangely life and death intertwine right before our eyes.