Red Stripe, Pt. 3 - _TNY_7849
No, despite the title, this isn't a post about Jamaican beer, but about those markings that some of the female goldenrod crab spiders (Misumena vatia) have on their abdomen.
I used to think it was something that all of them had once they became adults, but from what I've gathered now, it appears to be something that some have and some don't - like freckles. Here's one which definitely is adult - but completely lack the red: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51543482175/
These ladies can change colour and turn light green and all the way to snow white, but it doesn't affect the red markings.
This particular one was hanging out on a cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) in Åva-Stensjödal on Tyresta National Park, Sweden, and as you can see, she hasn't had the time to adjust her colour to the new flower yet. It takes a couple of days for them to make the shift so they aren't as fancy as a chameleon or an octopus, but still quite cool.
Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52132332215/
Part 2 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52521449063/
Red Stripe, Pt. 3 - _TNY_7849
No, despite the title, this isn't a post about Jamaican beer, but about those markings that some of the female goldenrod crab spiders (Misumena vatia) have on their abdomen.
I used to think it was something that all of them had once they became adults, but from what I've gathered now, it appears to be something that some have and some don't - like freckles. Here's one which definitely is adult - but completely lack the red: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51543482175/
These ladies can change colour and turn light green and all the way to snow white, but it doesn't affect the red markings.
This particular one was hanging out on a cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) in Åva-Stensjödal on Tyresta National Park, Sweden, and as you can see, she hasn't had the time to adjust her colour to the new flower yet. It takes a couple of days for them to make the shift so they aren't as fancy as a chameleon or an octopus, but still quite cool.
Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52132332215/
Part 2 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52521449063/