Spider Photos
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"No More Honey" | Flower Crab Spider & European Honeybee | Misumena Vatia | Apis Mellifera | Switzerland
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ABOUT THIS PHOTO:
My garden may look like a peaceful green paradise to humans, but for the little creatures living in it it's a place where death may lurk behind every corner.
From time to time when I'm working in the garden or I'm just reading a book I hear a very distinct, loud buzzing that stands out as somewhat unusual among the many noises and sounds I hear during the day. By now I know what that sound is: it's the panicky, frantic buzzing of a European honeybee (Apis mellifera) that has fallen prey to a very distinguished predator: the flower crab spider (Misumena vatia).
The arachnid usually hides in flowers, patiently waiting for an unsuspecting insect; due to its ability to adapt its color to that of the flowers it hunts in it is almost invisible - and all the more deadly to its prey. This photo here is actually somewhat unusual because this crab spider didn't hunt in a flower but in the leaves of the vines that make up the roof of my veranda.
Once it had caught the bee it let itself fall into the empty space below, safely secured by two threads, to enjoy its meal undisturbed (and probably also in order not to become prey itself, namely of another predator like a lizard that might have been attracted by the victim's frantic buzzing ;-)
This scene may seem cruel to us (and I'm aware that - sadly - many people don't like spiders to begin with), but this is simply nature's way (and that bee didn't suffer long; compared to what we humans do to animals, the spider's way of killing its prey actually seems rather "humane" - even if that word sounds absurd in this context).
ABOUT THE SPECIES (from Wikipedia):
Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider with a holarctic distribution. It is called the goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider, as it is commonly found hunting in goldenrot sprays and milkweed plants. They are called crab spiders because of their unique ability to walk sideways as well as forwards and backwards.
Females can grow up to 10 mm (0.39 in) while males are quite small, reaching 5 mm (0.20 in) at most. Misumena vatia may be yellow or white. This ultimately depends on the flower on which they are hunting. Younger females especially, which may hunt on a variety of flowers such as daisies and sunflowers, have a strong tendency to adapt to the color of the surrounding flower. However, the color-changing process is not instant and can require up to 25 days to complete.
They have a complex visual system, with eight eyes, that they rely on for prey capture and for their color-changing abilities. Sometimes, if Misumena vatia consume colored prey, the spider itself will take on that color.Misumena vatia feed on common insects, often consuming prey much larger than themselves. They use venom to immobilize their prey, though they are harmless to humans. They face threats due to parasites and larger insects.
For Misumena vatia, survival depends on the choice of hunting site. The spiders closely monitor multiple sites to see if others nearby are frequented by greater numbers of potential prey. Females are stationary and choose a flower to settle on while males cover great distances searching for mates. Females do not emit pheromones, rather, they leave "draglines" of silk behind them as they move, which males follow. Females live longer than males, on average. After mating, females guard their nests until the young have hatched, after which they die.
I don't want this text to get even longer, so I'll skip the info about the Eurpean honeybee (Apis Mellifera), but I encourage everyone to look it up or watch the documentary 'More Than Honey' from 2012; bees may seem a very familiar and common sight to us, but they are among the most important and fascinating creatures on the planet.
As I mentioned before, if people like these photos and are interested in other flora and fauna from my private jungle, I'll upload an insect or spider every once in a while between lizards, so let me know in the comments if you're interested in seeing more of these or if I should stick to just reptiles ;-)
As always, thank you so much for your interest and feedback, stay safe - and have a great week everyone!
Lacerta
Spider in Web. Taken using the reverse lens macro technique.
#canon700D #spider #reverselensmacro #budgetmacro #macro
The spider species Argiope aurantia is commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider,writing spider, corn spider, or McKinley spider. It is common to the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. It has distinctive yellow and black markings on the abdomen and a mostly white cephalothorax. Its scientific Latin name translates to "gilded silver-face" (the genus name Argiope meaning "silver-face", while the specific epithet aurantia means "gilded"). Males range from 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in); females range from 19–28 mm (0.75–1.10 in). These spiders may bite if disturbed or harassed, but the venom is seemingly harmless to humans.
Spider Pavilion. The Los Angeles Natural History Museum. California.
Listspinne
Stack von 6 Aufnahmen freihand.
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[ E x p l o r e d ] on 23 Sep, 2010.
Place : Lawachara bon, Srimongol, Sylhet.
Camera : D90, 18-105mm.
Date : 19 June, 2010.
Please don't use this image anywhere without my permission.
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A tiny spider's web dangles in the morning light hoping for breakfast.
Can you find the Spider?
Thanks for stopping by
Actually it's a little spider in our living room which rather looks like a moonscape. This one posed quite nicely for me before moving on. Any ID would be welcome as I'm not that good on spiders.
As I approached with the lens this beauty adopted this wide and defensive stance. She held her ground impressively. For some reason here eyes have a sad look about them.
I was walking through Mark Burnham Park early Tuesday evening and the sun was catching a network of small branches just the right way to create the illusion of a massive diagonal spider web through the trees. I have the benefit of having been there, and know what I should see, so hopefully you can also see the illusion in this shot. Wishing you all a gorgeous green Thursday!
♂︎ Zebra Jumping Spider (Salticus scenicus)
Itsy-Bitsy the Zebra Jumping Spider in a space of his own. I spied this little beauty on an outside windowsill to our garden.
Note the rather impressive fangs of the male of the species.
Thanks for looking!
Female zebra spiders are 5-9 mm long and males are 5-6 mm
(Salticus scenicus) is a common jumping spider. Like other jumping spiders, it does not build a web. It uses its four pairs of large eyes to locate prey and it’s jumping ability to pounce and capture it. Zebra spiders are often noted for their awareness of humans. Upon noticing someone observing them, they can be seen raising their head, and usually change behavior (hence the name Salticus scenicus, theatrical jumper).
Thanks for looking.
A beautifully camouflaged member of the genus Tetragnatha on a mildewed hogweed seed head. Seen at Walthamstow Wetlands nature reserve in north east London.
I started out with one plant and now have 10. After flowering the plants slowly deteriorate and go dormant.