Voracious Sussi, Pt. 4 - _TNY_8110S2 (In Explore 14/1 2024)

This extremely hungry spider is a female goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia) eating some sort of green metallic blowfly (Calliphoridae sp.) on an ox-eye daisy (Lecanthemum vulgare).

 

I originally found her on some cow parsley where she was eating a tachinid fly and put her in a small plastic container until I got home where I let her out on one of the ox-eye daisies in front of my neighbour's house.

 

Not fifteen minutes later when I checked in on her, she had already caught and was eating this fly.

 

The next day when I came out to look again, she had caught a bumblebee and the day after that a solitary bee!

 

Apparently not full yet, the day after that I saw her with yet another fly - we're going to be out of flying bugs soon if she keeps this up!

 

I named her Sussi and was looking forward to seeing her grow, but the day after that, she was gone.

 

This shot is a two-exposure focus stack for a little extra depth of field.

 

Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52308568738/

 

Part 2 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52579712511/

 

Part 3 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52728397505/

 

For a shot of her on the cow parsley where I originally found her, please have a look here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52134439834/

 

Sussi with the bumblebee can be found here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52163448364/

 

and here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52346576237/

 

Her eating the solitary bee here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52395316440/

Done